


Lost Time

by SaiphTheSwordmaster



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Dipper Pines Needs A Hug, Dipper Pines and Ford Pines Bonding, Dipper Pines is Called Mason, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Mabel Pines Is Awesome, Stan Pines is a Good Brother, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 58,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24780907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaiphTheSwordmaster/pseuds/SaiphTheSwordmaster
Summary: In this story, Dipper goes for a walk and ends up breaking the Bill statue. Bill then sends them both to the Nightmare Realm and fuses his power with Dipper. Dipper ends up traveling the multiverse for ten years with a group of outlaws, and even gets married. One day, Mabel accidentally reads out a spell that brings him back. The question is, why is Dipper the only one who's aged?
Relationships: Dipper Pines & Mabel Pines, Dipper Pines/Original Female Character(s), Pacifica Northwest & Dipper Pines, Pacifica Northwest/Mabel Pines, Stanford Pines & Dipper Pines, Stanley Pines & Dipper Pines, Stanley Pines & Mabel Pines, Stanley Pines & Stanford Pines
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	1. Just a Ten Minute Walk In The Woods

**Author's Note:**

> All credit for this genius AU goes to chargedwolfeh on tumblr. (Age Skip AU) Thank you so much for the inspiration!

"Mabel, I'm going to go take a walk, do you wanna come?" Dipper called up to his sister.

She was in the attic, updating her scrapbook with the events of Weirdmageddon. Dipper needed to take a walk to process the nightmare he just went through. Even though it was getting late, they already ate dinner and the sun was setting, he really needed to clear his head.

"No thanks!" She called back.

He expected the answer, so he wasn't hurt, but he was a little disappointed. He didn't like being alone after being possessed by Bill, especially at night. Regardless, the walk felt like something he had to do. If he stayed in the shack any longer he was gonna go nuts.

He grabbed journal 3, feeling a stab of guilt about keeping its existence from Ford, and shoved it in his vest. He headed for the door, and noticed that Stan was watching tv. Dipper hoped that he was asleep, because he didn't want him to stop him.

"I'm going for a walk, be back in a bit, bye!" He called to his very much awake grunkle.

Stan normally didn't pay much attention to anyone when he was watching tv, but he turned to look at his nephew, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold your horses kid. Where are you going?" He asked.

"I'm going for a walk. I just need to clear my head. I won't go far, and I'll only be a few minutes, I promise," He said.

"Kid, you and sister almost died a few days ago. Where do you want to go by yourself at night?" He asked.

"I just really need a walk. Just a few minutes, please?" Dipper begged.

Grunkle Stan considered it for a second, then sighed, "Fine. I'll give you ten minutes. Don't start another apocalypse," He said.

Dipper grinned, "Thanks Grunkle Stan! I won't, I promise!"

He ran out the door and into the woods before Stan could change his mind.

As he walked out the door, he didn't really know where he wanted to go. His mind kinda drifted off as his body went into autopilot. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened nearly 48 hours prior. He didn't think he'd ever be able to forget the burning town, everyone being turned to stone, the fear he felt, Bill's voice even still rang through his head in a constant refrain.

In other words, he really needed a break.

As he walked deeper into the woods, he didn't register the sun going down, or the fact that much more than ten minutes had passed since he left the shack. Even if he did realize those things, he couldn't make himself turn around and go back to the shack.

A hysterical ramble began playing through his mind as his stroll became more of a frantic speed walk, Keep walking, keep walking, keep walking, just keep going. Don't stop, can't stop, won't stop. Nonono. He won't get me, can't let him get me. Not again, not again, not again.

As all of these thoughts invaded his mind as if from an outside source, he walked faster and faster until he was running. He didn't care at this point if he fell, because he couldn't stop under any circumstances.

Not safe, not safe. Have to keep going, keep running. Please God, no! I can't do this!

As he sped into a full on manic sprint, he felt his ankle catch on something and he fell. He landed several feet away after a very painful fall, and felt tears running down his cheeks.

"No… Not again… Please, help me…" He gasped to no one.

Slowly, he regained awareness of his surroundings and began to calm down. What had once been a hammering in his ears had slowly begun to slow down. His breathing slowed to the point where passing out was no longer an issue, and he mentally assessed the damage the fall had done to his body.

He sat up and checked out his arms and legs, he used his tongue to feel if there was anything wrong with his mouth. He started to feel hopeful that he hadn't sustained any damage from the fall, until he saw his left ankle.

"Dang it!" He hissed as he noticed the bright red and swollen appendage. How far into the woods did he go? Would his Great Uncles know where to find him? Would he have to spend the night out here? He shuddered at the thought. The woods weren't the safest place at the best of times, but at night with a possibly broken ankle? He could be dead before sunrise.

He decided that he needed to try to walk on it, and slowly got to his feet, heavily favoring his right leg. Why did it have to be his ankle? He was ambidextrous! The injury of an arm or a wrist wouldn't be nearly as bad as being stranded with a useless ankle and no weapons.

He tried to put weight on his left foot, and hissed with pain as all of his worst fears were confirmed. There was no way he was going to be able to walk on it. Pulling as lead from his grunkle's book, he said, "Hot belgian- Oh screw it. SON OF A BITCH!" He shouted as loud as he could.

Then, when he realized what he just said, clapped a hand over his mouth, "I'm so sorry," He whispered to no one in particular, eyes darting around to make sure no one heard him.

When he did so, he finally realized where he was. Looking around provided the information that he was in a clearing, and there was a strange statue in the middle of it. He frowned, that definitely hadn't been there before Weirdmageddon. He limped over to it, and yelped when he realized what it was.

It was the statue of Bill, the isosceles jerk was standing there, reaching his hand out to him. He could almost hear his voice in his head, "How about it, Pine Tree? Let's make a deal!"

Dipper felt a sudden surge of anger, "You!" He screamed at the stone triangle.

"This is your fault! You ruined our summer, nearly killed Mabel, possessed my body, ruined my Great Uncle Ford's life, caused my Grunkle Stan to lose his memory- I- I- I HATE YOU, BILL CIPHER!" He screamed, tears running down his face, lashing out at the triangle.

Before Dipper knew what was happening, he felt his fist collide with the demon's eye. He didn't even register the pain in his hand and the blood pouring down, when the statue began to glow.

His eyes widened as the statue began to glow, and he heard a peal of mad laughter echo throughout the clearing.

When the statue started cracking, Dipper began to panic. He didn't know this would happen! He was Dipper! Scrawny, noodle armed, nerdy Dipper! How the heck did he manage to break a solid stone statue.

The glow only became stronger, and he saw a yellow light start to leave the statue, "Wait! Oh no, this can't be happening! I-I didn't mean it!" He cried.

His words had no effect on the slowly breaking statue. He could only watch as the light grew brighter and brighter, and it flew into him.

"I'm sorry, Mabel," He said as his whole world went unbearably bright, then dark.


	2. Into The Multiverse

"Is that who I think it is?" Dipper heard through a haze of dreams.

He faded in and out of lucidity as he tried to figure out what was happening. The person speaking's voice was raspy and had a tone of evil to it. He shuddered, wherever he was, he needed to stay on high alert.

He strained to hear, "...Pines brat," He heard.

Another voice replied in complete gibberish.

"Yes. This is the little brat that killed Bill," The raspy voice said.

Dipper suddenly had an idea where he was and who was talking, and his blood turned to ice. He felt a strange instinct rise up from within him. It was weird, almost as if it came from an outside source.

He felt his eyes snap open, and his body run on autopilot. It was a different type of autopilot than before, more like someone else taking control of his body than his body moving on its own accord. He barely had time to register the demons' identities, 8 Ball and Zanthar, before he was in attack mode. He did his best to propel himself away from the two assailants in no gravity and prepared himself for attack.

"You have 5 seconds to get away from me and leave me alone!" Dipper screamed. He tried to sound intimidating, but his cracking voice ruined it.

The two looked at each other, and 8-Ball burst out laughing. Zanthar did, well, whatever a giant bread looking thing with four legs and a party hat did when it was amused. If the scenario had been different, Dipper would've reached for the journal to take notes.

"You're in no position to be making the threats here, noodle arms," 8-Ball jeered.

Dipper wasn't perturbed, "5… 4… " He called.

"Oh, what are you going to do to me? Annoy me to death?" The demon mocked.

"3… 2…" He continued.

"You'll never touch me, you pathetic little weakling," He sneered.

That was the last straw, "1…" He breathed, sounding much more deadly than he normally did.

"That was a mistake…" He whispered, the whole world going silent and still.

Then, everything was blue.

He distantly heard the screams of the two demons as they burned. The fire seemed to flow around Dipper, bouncing off of him he was oil and it was water. He made a mental note to write an entry in the journal once he figured out what was going on. The flames kept up until the two demons had fled.

Once the fire went out, the strange sense of calm that settled over him began to lift, and he began to freak out. He looked around, realized there was no gravity, saw the red sky, and came to three realizations.

One: He wasn't on earth anymore.

Two: His injuries from before had been healed.

Three: The power that he just used to save himself was Bill's.

The pieces clicked together like some kind of sick puzzle. He was in Bill's dimension, the Nightmare Realm, he just used his power, which meant that there was a high chance he was possessed.

"Oh God, no! Not again! Please, no!" He found himself frantically shouting, curling up in a tight ball.

 **Jeez, relax kid. I'm not possessing you.** A voice came from inside of his head.

"AH! Get out of my head!" Dipper screamed, clawing at his skull like he could open it and forcibly pull the dream demon out.

**No can do, Pine Tree! You see, thanks to dear old Fez and Sixer, I'm too weak to exist on my own. I'm not going to have a consciousness for much longer, but my power will still live on in you. Have fun harnessing what power your puny mortal form can handle without spontaneously combusting! Bill called cheerfully.**

"Hey! Wait-" He tried to speak before Bill cut him off.

 **You were right, by the way. You're in the Nightmare Realm. Have fun dealing with my old friends! As for your power, well, you're a smart kid, you can figure it out! Use it for evil, or whatever…** Bill trailed off, his voice getting fainter.

"Bill, you little-"

 **Goodbye, Pine Tree! It's been fun!** Then, with a little pop, Bill was gone. He searched through his entire mind, but found no hint of the dream demon's presence.

Instead, he discovered that his mind had loads of knowledge that he'd never known before, and he felt a strange thrum of power in his bones.

Bill must have sensed that he was dying and, being the ridiculous demon he was, decided to go out with a bang by giving his remaining power to Dipper. He probably hoped that his power manifestation might bring him back to life or turn Dipper evil. He laughed at that, clearly the triangle didn't know as much as he thought he did.

Dipper Pines was a good person, no amount of demon power could change that.

From deep in his subconscious, he could've sworn that he heard a peal of laughter, "Just going to ignore that," He said aloud. Since he was alone, talking to himself was a good way to rationalize things and keep him grounded. Of course, if Mabel were here, she'd be a lot better at that job. But at the same time he was glad she was at home safe, because if any of his estimates were correct, then he was going to be here for a while.

He felt a pang of guilt in his heart, Mabel… He left her without a note, or a warning, or anything. She was waiting at home, and he might never come back.

Panic rose up in his chest, "There's no one else here. I'm gonna die alone in a different dimension," He said.

Then he heard a voice from behind him, "Don't be so sure about that!"


	3. The Refugees

"Don't be so sure of that!" A voice called from behind him.

Dipper whipped around as fast as he could in Zero G and saw that there was a girl behind him. She had red skin, long red hair, and red eyes. Red on red on red. He blinked in surprise at the obviously alien color scheme. She looked about ten or eleven, and was holding a knife.

"Well, cat got your tongue?" She demanded.

"Uh, Hi. I'm Dipper Pines," He offered.

She snorted, "Well, obviously I know that,"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Oh, please! You're one of the most famous people in the entire multiverse," She said, as if this should've been obvious.

"Uh… I am?" He asked.

"Jeez, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. Of course you are! You and your family are the heroes that killed Bill Cipher!" She exclaimed.

Dipper's eyes widened. He knew his family was famous in Gravity Falls for saving the world, but the multiverse? The entire multiverse knew his name? Him? Dipper Pines?

"Really it was all my Grunkle Stan. He deserves the hero title more than the rest of us," He said.

She rolled her eyes, "Don't sell yourself short, Mason. I've seen what you can do. If it weren't for you, Bill would've won,"

"How did you know my name?!" He demanded.

She gave a half shrug, "You can learn anything you want out here for the right price. But that's beside the point. We have to go tell the others," She said.

"Others?"  
"Well, we've got to tell them that the hero of the multiverse is here, of course," She said, propelling herself forward and taking Dipper's hand.

"Wait-" He began.  
"No use protesting!" She said.

"I wasn't going to. I was going to- What's your name?" He asked, giving up on his awkward sentence and getting to the point.

"Kira, Kira Agni. I can't wait to get out of this dimension!" She exclaimed.

"What are you-"

Before he could finish his thought, flames came from her feet and she propelled them away.

"Whoohoo!" She whooped as they flew through the air.

"AHHHH!" Screamed Dipper, terrified that they were going to fall.

Then, he looked up at the girl, and started to laugh at his thought, Idiot! You can't fall in zero gravity!

Once he came to this realization, he started to have fun. Flying wasn't something he would ever get tired of, he decided.

When they got to their destination, Dipper was almost disappointed that the trip was over. It was really fun, and helped him forget about the true hopelessness of the situation.

There were three more people sitting at a fire, when the two of them walked in.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, and Other wonderful people, I give you the savior of the multiverse, Mason Pines!" She declared.

"Dipper, just Dipper," He said.

The people at the fire turned around and he noticed an abnormally tall guy with blue skin, brown hair, and black eyes; an averagely tall person with green skin, short black hair, and brown eyes; and a rather short girl with purple skin, long brown hair, and brown eyes. They were all painfully skinny. They all looked around 15-18. And in that moment, they all looked delighted to see him.

The blue man was the first to speak, "Is it really- Is this really Dipper Pines?" He asked, his voice unsteady.

"Sure is, Xaror! And he's our ticket out of here!" Kira chirped.

"Uh, what now?" He asked.

The girl got up and got really close to him, "Is it really you?" She asked.

"We've established that already, Natasi," She said, annoyance tingeing her voice as she shoved her away from him. Her eyes delivered a clear message, Back off.

Dipper, being Dipper, didn't notice this, and became fascinated by the alien by the fire, "Um, I see you never introduced yourself. What's your-" He began.

Kira cut him off, "Oh, sorry! I forgot to introduce everyone. Mason, the tall one is Xar, he's 18, and a total sweetheart! He's the medic in the group. The shorty here is Nat, she's 16, and she's fierce, man! She's the best with a blaster gun here, she never misses! The person by the fire is Rune, they're 15, and great with a dagger. Good pickpocket too, very stealthy and sneaky! They go by they/them pronouns," She said, stopping to make sure that he understood. When he nodded his understanding, she continued, "And I'm Kira! I'm 10, and I bring the fire to battle," She said, demonstrating the literal meaning of this statement by setting her fists ablaze.

Dipper's eyes widened, and it took a great deal not to faint from pure fascination in that moment. He was surrounded by four scientific anomalies, and felt the urge to take furious notes. Instead, since they were expecting an introduction from him, he smiled, "It's nice to meet you all, but I don't know how I can help you. I don't really know anything about interdimensional travel. If you wanted to talk to someone about that, you would have to talk to my Great Uncle Ford," He admitted, feeling terrible about his inability to help.

Kira waved him off, "Don't worry about that stuff, we can handle that. What we would need you to do is fight off demons. Whenever we try to leave here, the signal generates too many monsters, and we have to run before we can finish. If you hold off the demons while we get a steady connection to a different dimension, then we should be able to get out of here. We'll do anything in return, please," She said, a desperate look coming into her eyes at the last second.

Dipper nodded, "Is there any way I can go back to my dimension?" He asked.

Natasi winced and gave a response to his question, "I'm sorry, but we can't help you there. Your dimension is closed to any transuniversal travel. The reason Bill had to work so hard to get your uncle to build a portal and create a rift is because any other form of travel is impossible. We really wish we could help, but it's not possible," She explained.

Dipper's heart sank into his shoes. He didn't expect returning home to be easy, but impossible? No! There had to be a way, there had to! His thoughts raced. Should he stay here and wait for someone to make a portal? Should he look in the journal? Try to build his own portal? Look for a spell, something! He couldn't just accept the fact that he would never see his family again.

Oh, God! His family! Ford had spent 30 years in the multiverse while Stan tried to bring his brother back. What if Mabel did the same? He didn't want them spending their lives trying to bring him back. He didn't want them to suffer because he punched a statue.

"Dipper?" Kira asked, tentatively.

"What?" He asked, looking at her.

"Will you still help us?" She asked.

Dipper stared at her like she was nuts, "Are you crazy? Of course! What kind of person would just leave someone high and dry just because they didn't get something out of it?"

Kira cheered, "I knew you'd say yes! We can finally get out of this dimension! Maybe you could come with us!" Then, when she noticed the look on Dipper's face, "Or not," She quickly amended, "It's your choice,"

Dipper was conflicted. On one hand, the portal opened into this dimension. If Ford thought to rebuild it, he needed to be in this dimension when it happened. Then again, he looked at the band of refugees. They were rough around the edges, desperate, and barely clinging to survival, but they were strong. And despite not knowing them for very long, Dipper found himself wanting to trust them. Besides, what were the chances that anyone would figure out what really happened to him? They'd chalk his disappearance up to kidnappers, forest creatures, or a mysterious explosion. Then they'd pronounce him dead, and the whole world would move on with their lives. Survival wasn't all that he wanted. Looking at the broken, but determined faces of the group around him filled him with a sense of purpose. He wanted to travel the dimension helping people like them. He wanted to live up to his title of, "Hero".

"Would you guys really not mind me tagging along?" He asked.

They all erupted into cheers and reassurances that they would be happy to have a fifth party member.

When everyone finally settled down, Xaror spoke, "Alright guys, here's the plan."

As he went over the plan, Dipper felt anxiety growing in his chest. These guys seemed to hate Bill more than anything. How would they react when they saw that Dipper had his power? Would they abandon him? Or worse, would they perceive him as a threat and get rid of him. He shuddered at the thought. He wanted to trust these people, but the Author's message in the journal rang in his mind, "Trust No One."

He shook the thought out of his head. No, they wouldn't do that. What, was he going crazy or something? These guys were no older than Dipper, and they weren't bad people. He could tell. He needed to take a leaf from Mabel's book and trust someone for a change.

"Let's do this!" He heard the group shout all around him.

The group quickly got their supplies together. Excitable chatter filled the area. Rune put out the floating fire, Dipper had to ask later how they got that to work, and got to work helping everyone. Their excitement and anticipation was infectious, and he found himself fitting into the group already.

Natasi called him over to a chest, "Dipper, could you come here for a sec?"

"Sure," He said, swimming through the air to get there.

"Here," She said, offering him the trunk.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"Your clothes are ruined. I've got a chest full, take your pick," She said.

He wasn't expecting that, "Oh, thank you," He said.

He ended up picking out clothes that looked somewhat similar to his old ones. He grabbed a purple vest, black long sleeved shirt, jeans, and a nice pair of hiking boots.

Changing was difficult with no gravity and no privacy, but he managed.

Soon, the preparations were nearly finished, and the group congregated in the middle of the area.

When they were all ready, they put their hands together and shouted, "Fantastic Four!" They were about to disperse when Kira called him over, "Dipper, you're one of us now. Get over here!"

He did what she asked, and they all put their hands in again, "Fantastic Five!" They cheered.

"Welcome to the family, Dipper," Xar said.

The rest of the prep went by in a blur, and soon the whole team was in their positions. Dipper and Kira were ready to fight, and Nat, Xar, and Rune were working on getting a connection.

"Are you ready?" He asked Kira.

"Nope! This is gonna be fun!" She said, accenting her words by setting fire to her fists.

"3, 2, 1, Now!" Nat called from the middle.

Then, a pulse that even Dipper could sense rang out through the area like someone had rang a gong. Almost immediately afterwards, the demons started coming.

They started in waves of easily beatable monsters, but they slowly got more challenging as the fight continued. Dipper knew that he couldn't keep relying on his demonic super strength, but he really didn't want to have to pull out the blue flames.

He figured that he'd put off the inevitable for as long as possible, and hoped that none of them were too familiar with Bill's power.

After a few more waves had gone by, Dipper was wondering whether or not he'd end up needing to use his power.

Unfortunately, a scream from across the battlefield made the decision for him, "Ah! Let go of me you one eyed jerk!"

It was Kira, and she was in the clutches of a cyclops like demon. Dipper immediately felt himself lose his cool, and his power exploded.

When he opened his eyes, he could see that not just the cyclops, but all the other demons were writhing in agony from the blue flames. He had overdone it. Way overdone it.

Kira wasn't hurt, simply floating in midair, stunned. Dipper waited for the shock, the betrayal, the hatred. Instead she looked at him and grinned, "Man, Mason! That was awesome!"

She used her flames to power towards him, "I thought I was the only one with fire around here. I guess I've got some competition!"

Dipper frowned, "You don't care that I- His power?" He managed to get out, confused and exhausted.

She put her hands on his shoulders, "Hey, you saved us. It doesn't matter what happened. You're obviously a good person, heck, you're the best person I've ever met! Welcome to the team, Mason. Fist bump?" She asked, setting her fist aflame.

Hesitantly, he set his own fist on fire. The two bumped fists.

"Ow!" She cried, holding her fist to her chest.

Dipper panicked, "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" He asked.

She grinned and showed him her allegedly injured hand, "Gotcha!"

Dipper scowled and shoved her, "Jerk!"

She stuck her tongue out at him as she flipped through the air, "Nerd!"

The two began messing around, laughing, and punching, and trading insults.

"Dummy!"

"Butt-face!"

"A-hole!"

"Dweebazoid!"

"Meanie!"

"Dork!"

"Guys! The portal's ready!" Called a slightly exasperated Xar.

The two grinned at each other and propelled themselves to their friends.

When they got there, Rune and Nat were already gone.

"After you," Said Xar, gesturing towards a white, glowing patch in the sky.

Dipper turned to Kira, "Do you think our bodies would be weirdly fused together if we go through at the same time?" He asked.

She thought about it for a second, "I don't know, never tried it,"

"Should we risk it?" He asked.

She appraised the portal, then looked at him, "I don't see why not," She said.

Grinning, and ignoring the protests of Xaror behind them, they flew through the portal.


	4. The Power of Mabel

Turns out, they didn't get fused together, but they might as well have been. For seven years, their merry band traveled the multiverse and helped people. Xar taught Dipper about medicine, Nat taught him how to shoot a blaster and gifted him a special one she got when she was young, and Rune taught him the ways of stealth and lies. Somewhere along the way, Kira and Dip-Dip discovered their feelings for one another. They were the happiest merry band of interdimensional vigilantes ever. (The newly reforming Time Police absolutely hated them.) They were a band of Robin Hoods, bounty hunters, and just general do-gooders. Then, one day, disaster struck. Their camp was attacked in the middle of the night by some assassins. Dipper was the only one to get away. After that, he spent three years wandering the multiverse alone, desperately missing the company of his group. After a while, he grew used to the solitude and vowed vengeance on the men who killed his friends. When he finally got that revenge, he started doing more and more reckless good deeds. It seemed he was in real danger of getting himself killed, until one day…

"Ugh, how long does it take to go on a stupid walk. I'm bored," Mabel whined to herself. Her brother had been gone for an hour now, and she was starting to get a little worried.

No walk in the world should take this long. Dipper would know to get back quickly, everyone was in a tense mood after Weirdmageddon. He wouldn't be taking this long unless… Unless something was wrong.

Mabel felt something like dread filling her stomach. Was it- Could it possibly be- No! It was impossible. Bill was dead and gone. But what if he wasn't?  
What if he possessed Dipper again? What if, what if she had to hurt her little bro? The idea was horrible. She would never hurt Dipper! Never in a million years.

She looked at the other two journals on Dipper's bed, he only took journal 3 with him when he went on his walk, and got an idea.

Maybe there was something in the journals that could help her find him. Before she could touch them, though, journal one flipped open to a page. A chill went down her spine. She had never seen the page before, nor did she think it possible for the books to open on their own.

She looked at the page to find that it didn't have any other descriptions except a bunch of weird words, Tempus spiritibus de antiquis. Ad te voco, reverteretur in domum fratris mei ad me.

Huh, well that seemed like a mouthful. She had a feeling that the book wanted her to read it aloud. Well, if the book somehow knew what she wanted, then she should trust it. After all, her Grunkle Ford wrote the journals, and she trusted him more than anything.

She took a deep breath and thought, This had better work, Bro-Bro.

Then, she said the words aloud, "Tempus spiritibus de antiquis. Ad te voco, reverteretur in domum fratris mei ad me!"

It was slow, and stumbly, and she didn't think she pronounced the words right, but she said it.

When the book began to glow, Mabel grinned, it was working! She cast a spell! Well I guess I really am a witch now, She thought, glancing at Waddles.

The glow got brighter and brighter until she could barely see.

Just as she started to think that maybe casting random spells from random books probably wasn't the best idea, there was an absolutely blinding flash of light, and Mabel fell to the ground.

Dipper's POV

Dipper was constantly running. Running from the time police, running from Bill's allies, running from the rich jerks he cheated and their hired guns. He was always running, running, running. And he was getting tired.

This time, he was being chased by a demon from the Nightmare Realm. 8-Ball still wasn't over the time Dipper first fried his ass when he was twelve. Well, he had news for that demon. He was annoyed to wake up at 5:00 Am by a bloodthirsty demon, he hadn't eaten in over 48 hours, didn't appreciate the memories that thing brought back, and he was a lot stronger than he was when he was twelve. Even hungry and sleep deprived, he could still pulverise the sorry excuse for a demon easily.

He was ticked off, and ready to destroy the thing, when more of his enemies showed up. Great, now he was being chased by a bunch of assassins. One look at them proved that these guys were no joke. He could deal with the demon, but the demon and elite assassins? Not before he had his morning cup of coffee.

He was currently searching for a safe place to hop dimensions, when he started feeling weird. He adjusted his mask, this planet's air wasn't great for human lungs, but there was nothing wrong with it. In a panic, he checked all over his body for possible poison or tranquilizer darts. There were none, but his skin was starting to glow. He frowned. Sure, he was pretty hungry, but the hallucinations didn't start until at least a week passed.

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to puzzle over this enigma, because he heard a branch crunch somewhere in the woods. He was out of time. He needed to make the jump here and now, because he was gonna be dead as a doornail in less than five minutes.

The strange thing was, he couldn't move. The glowing was getting worse, and he could hear the hired guns closing in on him, Shit! He thought. He couldn't move now, they had him.

Soon, they all came into view.

One of the guys stepped forward, "Well, well, well. I see we've finally caught the elusive Dipper Pines. Your head is worth a fortune, you know. You should be flattered," He said, mockery dripping from his tone.

Dipper gritted his teeth, but stayed silent. He always kept an air of professionality, even when he was being hunted. It was more dignified than arguing with his pursuers or begging for mercy. No. There was no mercy. For them this was strictly business, and some part of Dipper could respect that. Of course, it was far overshadowed by the part of him that knew that these guys had taken the lives of his best friends and the love of his life.

Instead of wasting his breath with words, he spat at the dude. He had no idea where 8-Ball was, probably lost somewhere.

The guy's face hardened, "You shouldn't have done that, Pines," He said, training his gun at Dipper.

His heart sank. He knew that when it came to these guys, they didn't miss. In other words, he was screwed. Maybe it was better this way. The glowing was probably the fates or something telling him that his time had come.

He'd lived his life, and wouldn't regret dying right now. Maybe, maybe he'd get to see Kira again. He knew it was a vain hope, even if there was a heaven and hell, he doubted that he was good enough to see her again. But it comforted him as the glowing got stronger and he collapsed to the ground.

"Whoa! What the hell!?" The assassins were exclaiming.

He looked down and realized half of his body was missing. The guy hadn't shot, he was slowly disintegrating. Maybe this was 8-Ball's doing! Idiot, you shouldn't have written that guy off. He's a demon for God's sake.

Oh well, he laid his head back and thought about Kira. His memories of her filling his head, slowly shifting to his long lost sister Mabel, Grunkle Ford, Grunkle Stan, his parents, and Gravity Falls until everything went white.

Dipper's first thought upon awakening was, Am I dead?

He opened his eyes and sat up, "Kira?" He murmured blearily.

There was no reply.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. He was in his bedroom, in the Mystery Shack, with… Mabel?

A million different questions ran through his mind as he gawked at his surroundings, and the thing that broke him out of his stupor was Mabel's terrified squeak.

"Oh my God… Mabel?" He asked, his voice full of emotion.

She didn't respond, only stared in shock.

Then, before he knew what he was doing, he rushed over and hugged her. He didn't care that she was only 12, he didn't care that he might be in the wrong timeline, all he thought about in that moment was the fact that he had the chance to hug his twin again.

He knew he had made a mistake when she tensed in his arms, her piercing shriek filled the room and had the intensity to raise the dead, "STRANGER DANGER! STRANGER DANGER! HELP! GRUNKLE STAN! GRUNKLE FORD! STRANGER DANGER!"

Dipper stumbled back, scrambled to his feet, and tried to explain, "Mabel, it's me! It's Dipper! It's your brother!" He said.

This didn't have the desired effect and only proved to freak out Mabel more, "HELP! HE'S GOT DIPPER! HELP!"

"Nonono! It's me, I swear! It's-"  
At that moment, Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford burst through the door, gun and gold knuckles fully equipped.

Grunkle Stan took one look at the scene, his great niece crying and a strange man standing across from her, strode towards Dipper, and pinned him against the wall, "Who the fuck are you?!" He growled, "If you hurt a hair on my niece's head, I swear to God, buddy, there's gonna be hell to pay," He said.

"No, Grunkle Stan! You've got it all wrong! It's me, it's Dipper!" He cried desperately.

Stan laughed, "That was the worst lie I've ever heard in my life. Dipper is a twelve year old little nerd. Sorry, pal, but you're gonna have to do better than that," He said.

With difficulty, Dipper raised his arm and pushed his bangs back, revealing the birthmark on his forehead.

"Now do you believe me?" He asked.

Grunkle Stan backed away from him, but Mabel wasn't convinced.

"How do we know you aren't some kind of shapeshifter?" She asked.

"Ask me something only I would know," Dipper said.

Mabel thought for a second, then asked, "What's the dance that Mom used to make you do in the lamb costume when you were little?"

Dipper blinked, he wasn't prepared for that. He knew the answer, of course, but he was embarrassed. He shook his head, no! This was his sister, he couldn't let pride get in the way of her knowing it was really him, "The Lamby Lamby Dance," He said.

Mabel nodded, "Good. Now do it,"

"Wha- Mabel?!" He yelped, feeling twelve and self conscious again.

"It's the only way to know it's really you, and not some alien in a Dipper costume. Now come on," She said.

Dipper sighed, and began to do the ridiculous dance and song, "Well... who wants a lamby, lamby, lamby? I do! I do! So, go up and greet your mammy, mammy, mammy. Hi there! Hi there! So march, march, march around the daisies, Don't, don't, don't you forget about the ba-by!"

He got up and dusted off his cloak when he was finished, trying to spare some of his dignity, "There, happy?" He asked, annoyed.

Mabel's expression was one of shock, "Dipper… Is it really you?" She asked.

He smiled and removed the mask still on his face, "It's been a while," He said.

He was interrupted by a crushing hug from his twin (little?) sister.

"What happened to you, Dipper?" She asked, her face muffled from being buried in his chest, "You got tall," She said, sounding as if she was going to start crying again.

Dipper chuckled, "A bit more than a millimeter," He said. Man, that day felt like a lifetime ago. Mainly because, for him, it was. For Mabel it had only been a few months since that day, and a few hours since she saw her brother.

"And old," She said, pulling away to look at Dipper, "How old are you now. Are you 16, 17?" She asked.

He hadn't thought about it in a while, but he realized that his birthday was coming up. Obviously, so was Mabel's in a few days. He never really celebrated birthdays in the multiverse, and never told his friends the real date. Every year, they'd just pick a random day and celebrate. He didn't like thinking of it like a birthday, didn't like celebrating without Mabel.

"I haven't really thought about it in a while. Kinda lost track after a few years. If I had to guess, I think I'm going to be turning 23 in a few days," He mused.

"23?" She asked, eyes filling with tears.

He immediately felt guilty. Of course Mabel wasn't going to take this well. She was looking forward to going to middle school, high school, college, getting their driver's licenses together. All of those things were impossible now. He was a grown man, and she was still thirteen. The dream that Mabel had for them her entire life had just been shattered.

Before either could say anything, Great Uncle Ford spoke up, "Dipper, what happened?" He asked.

Dipper pulled away from his sister, sat on the bed, and started talking. He explained about the walk in the woods, the statue, the nightmare realm, his friends, the death of his friends, the most recent chase, and then suddenly appearing here like nothing happened after ten years. He decided to omit the part about being passed Bill's power, his love life was also left out. Too painful to talk about. He also neglected mentioning his vigilante career, it would only stress them out.

When he finished, he looked up at everyone. Mabel was crying, Grunkle Stan's face was a mixture of anger and guilt, and Great Uncle Ford's expression was indecipherable.

"Yeah, so that's pretty much it. Any que- Ah!" He began to speak, but Mabel interrupted by flinging herself at him. She hugged him and cried, and he almost felt the urge to cry too. But he didn't. He couldn't bring himself to show weakness after all these years even if he wanted to.

"It's okay. You're home now," Mabel said, almost as if she was trying to comfort him as much as herself.

She pulled away and wiped away her tears, "Besides. Who wouldn't want a brother who's an interdimensional hero," She said.

"Actually, we're all heroes there. Well, in some dimensions at least. And it depends on who you ask whether we're famous or infamous," He winced slightly at the memory of some of his more… painful encounters.

Ford frowned, clearly noticing the change in expression, "Are you sure you're in the correct dimension? From what you're saying, there seems to be some kind of-"

Stan cut him off, "Who cares, Ford? He's home. And from what he just said it seems like he had a pretty rough time," He said, sending a withering glare his brother's way.

Mabel quickly joined Grunkle Stan, "Yeah. We can ask him questions in the morning. When was the last time you ate, Dipper? You're way too skinny!" She accused, poking him in the ribs, though she had to reach up a bit to do so.

Ford immediately regretted his words, "Of course, of course. What do you want to eat?" He asked.

He immediately noticed his headache, probably from caffeine withdrawal, "Do you guys have any coffee?" He asked.

Stan frowned, "You need more than just coffee. Your sister's right, you look terrible. What did you live off of out there?" He asked.

Dipper cracked a smile, "Mainly caffeine and adrenaline," He joked.

Ford cringed at the familiar answer, knowing that if someone asked him that when he first came out of the portal, he would've answered very similarly.

Stan rolled his eyes, "Not funny, kid. When was the last time you ate something. Ya look like a sack of bones," He said.

"A couple of days ago, I think. I don't know, kinda lost track," The answer slipped out before Dipper could modify it for his family's ears. He wasn't used to having people around him who cared about him enough to make him eat or sleep.

It was only when Dipper saw the horrified expressions on his family's faces that he realized his mistake, "It's fine, really. I've gone longer, believe me. This is nothing," He said, quickly trying to backpedal.

Unfortunately, his response only made everyone around him more worried. Stan was the first to speak, "Kitchen. Go. Now."

Dipper had the sense not to argue. He knew that Grunkle Stan didn't give a damn that he was an adult, and his family would tie him down and force feed him if they had to. Since Dipper wanted to avoid that particular outcome, he complied.

As soon as he sat down, everyone started bustling around the kitchen. Mabel was making Mabel Juice, Grunkle Stan was making Stancakes, and Ford was making sandwiches and pouring a bowl of what looked like a bunch of jelly beans. Dipper smiled, he forgot that Ford couldn't cook. He also noticed the addition of fruits and vegetables and was thankful.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when Mabel plopped down a glass of Mabel Juice in front of him. It was just as dubious looking as he remembered, bright pink with glitter and plastic dinosaurs in it.

Though his standards were a lot lower than they were ten years ago, and he downed the entire glass in one gulp. Mabel eagerly filled up his cup, not used to people being this enthusiastic about her cooking.

Stan looked away from his cooking for a second to see that Dipper was already on his second glass, "I don't think that stuff's too good for you, kid," He stage whispered.

Dipper shook his head, "Nah. I have stronger stuff than this on a daily basis. Did you know Grunkle Ford wrote down a modified recipe for coffee in the journal? It's about 3 times stronger than the regular stuff. Then I modified his recipe to make it about 5 times stronger than a normal cup," He explained while downing his glass.

Ford again cringed at the reply. Dipper was acting way too much like him for his liking.

"And I'm 20 years old, Grunkle Stan. I'm not a kid," He said, moving on to his third glass.

Stan snorted, "I'm old, Dipper. I can call anyone a 'kid'," He said.;

Dipper laughed at that, "Fair enough,"

Soon the meal was ready, and Dipper had to admit that it all looked delicious. The last meal he had was a rabbit that he tried to cook with a blaster. He learned the hard way that his blue flames were too hot to do anything but burn something to ashes. They had magical healing properties, but they couldn't cook him a decent meal. Figures.

There was a stack of Stancakes, sandwiches, chips, jelly beans, fruit, vegetables (At Ford's insistence), and a whole pitcher of Mabel juice.

"Thanks guys, I don't know what to say," He said.

"Don't say anything, just eat! You're driving me crazy!" Mabel exclaimed.

So Dipper did just that. He fought off the urge to stuff his face, knowing from experience that it would make his night a living hell. Besides, you never want to throw up a good meal, huge waste of precious nutrients. He ate slowly and deliberately until he was full. He ate as much as he could without bursting, his mind already going back into fugitive mode. When he was in the multiverse, he ate like he didn't know where his next meal was gonna come from, because he didn't. Sure, Bill's power made it possible for him to last a much longer time without food, water, and sleep than most humans, but even that had its limits. And being weakened in any way in the multiverse was never a good idea.

When he was finally done, he noted that he had eaten a little under half the Stancakes, three sandwiches, the bowl of chips and jelly beans lay mostly untouched while the vegetable and fruit platters were nearly picked clean. He was clearly still in maximum nutrient gathering survival mode.

Mabel paid that no mind and helped herself to the left over junk food once she saw that her brother was done.

He immediately felt exhausted, the toll of the day was wearing on him. He didn't want to admit it, but luckily Ford understood what he needed.

"I think Dipper's had a long enough day, I think we should all get to bed early," He said.

Mabel looked like she was about to protest the fact that it was only eight, but after seeing the exhaustion on her brother's face, changed her mind, "Okay!" She said and cheerfully headed upstairs to change.

Dipper looked at him, "Ford, I-"

"We can talk in the morning, Dipper. You need rest," He said.

By the tone of his voice, he knew there was no arguing with him.

Without another word, Ford headed down to the basement.

Dipper looked helplessly at Stan, who shrugged, "He's fine. Just a little surprised. Heck, I'm surprised. I mean, you were twelve just a couple hours ago. But hey, at least now child labor laws don't apply to you," He grinned.

Dipper rolled his eyes, "I'm so glad my being gone for ten years is helping your business," He said.

Stan's expression clouded, "Look, kid. I don't really know what you went through in the portal, that's more Ford's area. But I do know what it's like to be alone on the streets," He said.

Dipper's expression clouded, "I wasn't always alone," He muttered and headed up the attic stairs.

Stan stared after his nephew, not knowing how to talk to him. He wanted to reassure him that he was okay, but he didn't know if he was. At the very least he wanted to reassure him that he was going to be okay. Instead, he said, "I'll, uh, bring you some clothes to sleep in,"

"Okay," Dipper said, rounding the corner and going into the bathroom. He quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face. He stared at his face in the mirror. He hadn't seen his reflection in a while.

His face was gaunt and thin. His hair had grown out past his chin. His clothes hung off of his frame loosely. He looked again at his face. Did he always look so broken?

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, "Hey, I've got some clothes for you. Mabel can take you to get new ones tomorrow," Said Stan's exhausted voice.

Dipper opened the door and grabbed the clothes, "Thanks," He said, closing the door.

Stan had given him a white shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Dipper looked at the shower, it had been so long since he'd taken one.

He looked down at the ring on his finger and blinked the tears from his eyes. He forced himself to stop thinking about her. Not now. You can't lose your cool in Grunkle Stan's bathroom.

He decided on a quick one, and once he stepped into the warm, cascading water, he never wanted to leave.

He used soap for the first time in ages, and felt cleaner than he had in forever. He didn't feel like a million Bucks, but he at least felt like a dollar again.

His hair was really starting to get on his nerves, why hadn't he chopped it off yet? That was the thing about not being around reflective surfaces, you tended to not realize you look terrible until it's too late.

He put on the clothes that Stan gave him and appraised his reflection. They somehow looked worse than his torn up cloak. It almost looked like it was supposed to be baggy, these clothes just made him look alarmingly thin.

Well, too late now. He sighed and headed out of the bathroom. He went up the attic stairs and noticed that Mabel was already asleep. He frowned, he didn't think he took that long washing up. He stared at his sister for a minute, still not used to her presence, but never wanting it to go away again.

Then he figured he should try to sleep. He knew the bed was a lost cause, no way he could sleep on that soft thing. Not with all the paranoia, nightmares, and just general not being used to sleeping on anything but the ground.

He grabbed the pillow, blanket, and made a bed for himself on the ground. Once he did so, he grabbed his blaster from the pile of his old clothes and set it to stun. Then, he lay down and tried to go to sleep.

He kept reassuring himself that he was safe. He was sleeping on the floor, near the door, with his gun clutched in his arms like a stuffed animal. If the need were to arise, he could escape easily. Slowly, he felt his panic ebb away and his body relaxed. He felt the first semblance of peace he'd felt in years as he fell into the oblivion of sleep.


	5. Shopping With Mabel and Pacifica

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: Slight Suicidal Ideation, Grief, and Survivor's Guilt. Please stay safe out there!

Dipper awoke to the sound of Mabel's voice, "Dipper! Wake up, sleepyhead! It's time for breakfast!"

Dipper groaned since when was Mabel a morning person? He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he woke up, careful to keep the blaster hidden from his sister. He didn't need his family to know that he slept with a gun.

He stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. Mabel's expression flickered when she saw how underweight her brother was. Dipper didn't realize what the reason for her change in expression meant as he started out the door. He hadn't had coffee in over 48 hours, and he was craving some caffeine.

As he walked downstairs, he contemplated Mabel's sudden distress. Was it his imagination? Probably, he found that he often overthought the tiniest gestures to the point of utter mania.

Putting the incident behind him, he walked into the kitchen. He noticed that Stan was making eggs and toast and Ford was sitting at the table. Mabel went to join him, starting in with her jubilant chatter. Everyone stopped talking when Dipper walked into the room.

"Morning. Do you guys have any coffee? My head is killing me," He said, starting to walk over to grab a mug, but stopping when he saw the same expression that had been on Mabel's face repeated by his Grunkles.

He frowned. Okay, it wasn't his imagination, "What's with that look? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong…" Ford said very unconvincingly.

Dipper raised an eyebrow, "But," He probed, knowing there was something he was missing.

"I have a question for you, my boy," Ford said.

"Shoot," Dipper said, pouring himself a cup of coffee, and taking a sip.

"How long do you normally go without food at a time?" He asked.

Dipper nearly choked on his coffee. Of course! He should've known that that was what this was about. Grunkle Stan's clothes were too big on him, and he was probably underweight by their standards. In this outfit, he probably looked like an emaciated skeleton. Not to mention the fact that you could see his scars and a few of his tattoos on his bare arms.

He sighed and finished his cup of coffee, it was way too early for this. He thought for a minute before answering, trying to convert his amount of days without food into regular human standards, "Well, the most I've gone is probably about a week. But typically I try to eat about every day, every other day if the food supply is short."

He decided not to look at the nonverbal reaction to his confession and busied himself with pouring his second cup of coffee, "Anyway, I'm going to go get dressed and take a walk. I haven't seen this place in ten years. Maybe I'll say hi to a few old friends," He said, beginning to walk back up to the attic.

"Not so fast, young man. What about breakfast?" Stan demanded.

Dipper glanced back and shrugged, "I'll be fine, I ate last night,"

"Yeah, no. Get your butt in here and eat something, right now," He said.

Dipper turned fully around to face him, "I'm an adult! You can't tell me what to do!" He demanded indignantly.

"I can and I will. You're my nephew, and I'll be damned if I let you starve," Stan said.

Dipper was annoyed. He wasn't planning on eating anything before, and now he would probably just end up doing it out of spite. He planned to argue when Mabel cut in, "Please, Dipper. You have to eat something," And the look on her face made him feel so guilty that he immediately caved.

"Alright, alright," He said, sitting next to his sister.

He decided to let Mabel chatter about whatever boy band she was into, while he sat in silence. Great Uncle Ford wasn't listening to her, he could tell that he was worried about Dipper.

He averted his gaze and began to regret his previous outburst. He didn't mean to make his family worry, it was just… It was like a part of him died with Kira, and he could never hope to bring it back to life. If he could, he would trade his life for hers in a heartbeat. He almost wished he had died when he had the chance.

**Whoa, where did that thought come from? You're not giving up on me now, Pine Tree.**

Ever since his and Bill's beings were melded, he often found himself unconsciously referring to himself as the old nickname. He couldn't tell if it was a residual trace of the demon or just his instincts of self-preservation talking to him at the moment. Regardless, he responded.

 _I won't. I couldn't now even if I wanted to. I have to figure out why no one here's aged at all during the ten years I was gone first._ He wearily reassured the voice.

"Dipper?" He heard Mabel ask.

"Huh!? Oh, sorry. What is it, sta- sister!" He said, quickly amending his near-miss. Had he seriously almost referred to Mabel as 'Star'? Jeez, he was losing his mind.

"I asked if you minded if Pacifica came with us to go clothes shopping for you. She's good with fashion, not as good as me, but pretty good. It'll be fun!" She said brightly, not hearing the near word mix up.

Dipper frowned, "How are you going to explain my being ten years older than when she last saw me?" He asked.

"Don't worry about that! I'll just say you're my second cousin, Mason Pines. We can tell her that your house burned down, and we're shopping for new clothes to replace the ones that were destroyed. We'll say that you're sick or something, or you didn't want to come," She said.

Dipper contemplated the lie, it was feasible. And Pacifica had no idea that his real name was Mason, so it wouldn't be suspicious. He had to tamp down his feeling of discomfort at being called that. The last person who ever called him that was… Nope! He wasn't going to go there. He was looking forward to a fun afternoon with his sister and Pacifica. He did want to see her again. Their relationship was complicated, he couldn't lie, but she was a good friend.

"Okay. But you two can't go too crazy. The goal here is to make me stand out less in crowds," Dipper made sure to point out.

"Aww. You're no fun," Mabel pouted.

Dipper laughed, and the two began teasing each other. He desperately missed their playful banter when he was gone and was glad to have his sister back. Soon, Grunkle Stan served breakfast, and Dipper ate, accepting the second helping that Stan wordlessly heaped onto his plate without complaint.

Right after that, Stan handed Mabel some money, Ford gave a few warnings about safety, and the two were off.

Pacifica agreed to have her chauffeur bring her to pick them up in front of the Shack, and she arrived within a few minutes.

The two got in the car, and Dipper got the first good look at his old friend for the first time in ten years. Of course, it had only been ten years for him, but it felt good all the same to know she was doing well. He remembered once upon a time he might've had a crush on her. Now the idea of romantic attraction to anyone except his wife was laughable. He ignored the pang of grief in his heart and smiled at Pacifica. Remembering his cover story, he smiled, "Hello. You must be Pacifica Northwest. It's nice to meet you," He said, extending a hand her way, going around Mabel who was sitting in between them.

She returned his smile, "You're Mason, right? Mabel's cousin from Portland?" She asked, shaking his hand.

He nodded. He was proud that Mabel said he was from Portland instead of a ridiculous city that she made up herself, it made selling the cover story much easier.

"Yeah, I owe Stan and Ford for letting me stay at the shack until I can get back on my feet," He said.

Pacifica's gaze was pitying, "I'm sorry about your house, Mason," She said.

Dipper knew that she empathized with him about the loss of a house. She recently lost her home to Old Man McGucket. Of course, knowing that would be suspicious, so he said, "It's alright. It was just me living there, and I got out okay. That's all that matters, I can replace the stuff I lost. I have insurance," He said. That was a lie, of course. He hadn't been in dimension 46'/ in ten years, he didn't even have a driver's license, let alone insurance. Still, he was a young adult, and the lie was necessary for the story.

"Anyway," He said, changing the subject, "How are you? Mabel's always talking about you," He said.

Maybe it was the heat of the car or a trick of the light, but Dipper could've sworn her face got a little red at that comment. He dismissed it as his imagination.

"Yeah, whatever. It's not like I like her or anything. I'm only helping her so she'll owe me," She said.

He rolled his eyes, now that sounded like the Pacifica he knew, "Whatever the reason, thanks a lot. I'm sure Mabel has told you that I have no fashion sense," He laughed, effectively changing the subject.

Mabel jumped on that initiative, "Yeah! Mason used to wear the same clothes every day for days," She laughed.

Pacifica rolled her eyes, "You must be related to Dipper, then. Speaking of, where is he?"

Both Mabel and Dipper shared an uncomfortable look, and she quickly replied, "You know how Dipper is. His only outfit is a vest and sweaty shorts," She said with a nervous laugh.

Dipper held back his retort, knowing that doing so would only give him away, "He's spending the day with Ford. I'll tell him you said hi," He said.

The conversation mercifully shifted off of Dipper and onto clothing. Mabel and Pacifica were debating what would look the best on him, and Dipper stared out the window and let his mind wander.

Soon, they arrived at the Gravity Falls Mall and Dipper prepared himself for a long day of shopping.

They went to the first clothing store they saw and focused on shirts. Then they went to the next, and the next, and focused on different articles of clothing each time. Nothing too noteworthy happened except Mabel insisting he purchase a leather jacket of all things. He tried to refuse, but she wouldn't hear it, saying that it was going to look great on him. He looked to Pacifica for help, but she was with Mabel. Dipper reluctantly tried it on, and he had to admit that it suited him.

They must've spent over a hundred dollars shopping, not including their lunch at the food court, and eventually run out of money. Luckily Pacifica was willing to lend them some money, paying no attention to Dipper's protests, and they shopped for another hour. By the time they left the mall, the sun was going down and they were so laden by shopping bags that it took them forever to get to the car.

Upon Mabel's insistence, Dipper changed out of his borrowed clothes and into a t-shirt, jeans, and his new leather jacket. Even though it was summer, it felt right. Mabel wears wool sweaters in the middle of the summer, so why shouldn't Dipper wear his new jacket.

He left the mall bathroom and showed Mabel his outfit. She squealed when she saw him, "Oh my gosh! Dipper! You look amazing!"

Dipper smiled, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I only got this jacket cause you're my sister and I love you," He said.

Mabel giggled, "Oh, quit it, Dip-Dop! I know you like it," She said.

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever helps you sleep at night," He said.

Pacifica came out of the bathroom just then and appraised Dipper's outfit, "Wow, Mason. That jacket looks great on you," She said.

"Thanks," He said. Wow, I think that might be the nicest thing Pacifica's ever said to me. And she doesn't even know who I am. Dipper almost burst out laughing at the irony.

"It's getting late, guys. We should probably head back," Dipper said.

"Aw, you're no fun," Mabel pouted.

"He's right. If I stay out much longer, my parents might cancel one of my credit cards," Pacifica said.

"I see you've got your priorities straight, Paz," Mabel said, but she headed to the door per Pacifica's request.

If Dipper hadn't been, well, Dipper, then he would've been able to tell that something was going on. But he just followed behind them thinking, Huh. I had no idea Mabel and Pacifica were such good friends.

When they reached the car, Mabel and Pacifica chattered the whole way. It was a nice reprieve for Dipper, he was uncomfortable with the attention he had on him all day. And it was nice to see that Pacifica was making friends. She was starting to break away from her parents' influence and she was being herself more. He smiled, he was glad that she was getting the happiness she deserved.

He blinked, wow, where did that come from? He wasn't normally sentimental. But still, he meant everything he thought, even if he couldn't say it out loud.

The whole afternoon was nice. He had a distraction from the constant guilt and grief, and it felt so good to see his old friends again.

Before he knew it, Pacifica's car was parked in front of the Mystery Shack.  
"See you later, Paz!" Mabel called cheerfully.

"Ha! You wish," She called back, trying to hide a smile.

The car drove away, and Mabel pulled Dipper through the entrance of the Shack.

"Wait here! I'm gonna go get Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford!" She chirped.

"Why?" He asked, bemused.

"To show off my handiwork, of course!" She said.

Ah, she was talking about his outfit. He smiled, it was like Mabel to show off any skill she had.

Before he could send a teasing remark her way, she ran off, calling for Stan and Ford.

Dipper was alone in the gift shop. He was looking around to see the pine tree hats on a shelf. He smiled and went to take one, he missed his hat. (He lost it gambling in Lottocron Nine.) But faltered when he realized he didn't have any money.

The second he realized this, he also realized that he was a freeloader. He didn't do any work, just spent a ton of money on clothes out of his Grunkle's pockets, ate their food, and slept in their bed. Panic filled him. He needed to find a way to pay rent, and fast.

He fished through his pockets and found the money that Pacifica had given him for lunch. He wasn't hungry, he was never actively hungry, so he saved it for later. He felt terrible about spending her money and made a mental note to pay her back the five dollars.

He grabbed one of the hats and put it on, smiling at the familiar feel of it.

Just then, Mabel, Stan, and Ford joined him in the gift shop.

"Grunkles, I give you the new and improved Dipper Pines!" Mabel announced, gesturing towards Dipper.

He smiled and waved at them.

"Lookin' sharp, kiddo," Stan said.

"That jacket suits you," Ford said.

Dipper smiled, "Thanks. Mabel's the one who found it and insisted I tried it on," He said.

"I see you got a new hat," Stan said.

Just then, he noticed the hat on his head, "Oh! Yeah. I lost my hat in Lottocron Nine five years ago. I've been wanting another for a while. Here," He said, handing Stan the bill.

He waved him off, "I don't want your money, kid," He said.

"Take it," Dipper said.

"You're family," Stan said.

"I can't just take this," Dipper argued.

"You can, and you will," Stan said.

"Just take the money, Stan, please," He said, desperation creeping into his voice.

Stan caved and took the bill from Dipper, worried about his grandnephew.

Dipper sighed with relief, thank God his uncle didn't try to argue further. Mabel quickly changed the subject for him, chattering about their trip to the mall. It took about five trips to get all of the shopping bags up to his room, and when he did they headed to dinner. Dipper followed along, knowing it was useless to argue.


	6. Coffee is My Coping Mechanism

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: Mentioned alcohol/drug abuse, depression, suicidal ideation. A lot of angst in this chapter, but there will be hugs, I promise.

Dipper lay awake that night, thinking about the past two days. He learned earlier that night that trying to sleep was pointless since there was no way he was going to be able to.

Instead, he tried to busy his mind with something other than guilt. He contemplated what he was going to do after the summer was over. Obviously he couldn't just go home and live with his parents, and he couldn't stay at the Shack. He didn't want to take more of their time and money. Maybe he could get a job in Piedmont, and maybe do online school to finish his high school diploma, and get a college degree. It wouldn't be hard, thanks to Bill, he had access to most of the knowledge in the universe. But more than that, Dipper kinda wanted to return to the multiverse. He didn't belong in this dimension, he knew it. He was supposed to be a kid, and something about his arrival screwed things up. He would hate to be the reason why Mabel couldn't grow up with her little brother.

He groaned quietly as he checked the time, 3:00 Am. He couldn't lay in bed with his thoughts anymore, so he got up and headed downstairs. Coffee, I need coffee. He thought.

He checked the cupboards, and there was a bit left. He started making a pot, Add that to the list of things I need to pay my Grunkles for. He thought.

As he waited for it to brew, he let his thoughts wander. A childish part of his mind piped up with, _I wonder if Ford will let us go on dangerous missions with him. I mean, we're an adult now, we can handle it!_

He smiled at the thought, him and Ford being a 'nerd team' as Stan would put it, but had a feeling Ford was still going to be overprotective. Besides, he's already worried about you, so he's probably not going to let you go on a dangerous expedition. A more sensible part of his brain reasoned.

He sighed, he really didn't mean to worry anyone. It's just that he was so bad at social interaction with people who actually gave a damn about him. He stopped caring a long time ago, and it was weird being around people who still did.

He was crossing his fingers that his late-night coffee break wouldn't wake anyone up because he had a feeling that drinking coffee at three in the morning wasn't normal. It's coffee, An annoyed part of his brain said, It's not like we're getting wasted here.

Not that Dipper hadn't tried alcohol or drugs before, those three years he spent alone were dark ones, but he found coffee to be a much less deadly coping mechanism. Besides, whenever he did something like that, he could always hear a voice in his head scolding him about his lack of awareness, and that it could possibly get him killed. It was right, of course, so he turned to the sharp awakening powers of caffeine.

Even if he was tempted to drink now, he knew that Stan and Ford would have a fit if they caught him in the act. And he didn't want to owe them any more than he already did.

He noticed that his coffee was done, grabbed a mug, and filled it. He raised the scalding drink to his lips and drank half of the cup. He ignored his burning mouth and downed the rest of it. He felt the power of caffeine wake him up, and make him more alert.

He considered taking a walk. It was a nice night, and he could use the fresh air. No one would know he was gone.

He poured the rest of the coffee in his mug and downed it. Okay, now he needed a walk. The jitters were starting to get to him. He put his mug in the sink and headed out.

The air was surprisingly cold, but he didn't have it in him to go back to change into warmer clothes. He walked through the woods similarly to the way he did ten years ago. Autopilot.

He couldn't see anything, but he let his instincts guide him through the night. He didn't know exactly where he was going until he got there.

He looked around and squinted, but it was too dark to tell. He lit his hand with blue flames and figured out exactly where he was. Dipper Pines was at the edge of a cliff. He wasn't startled to find that one wrong step could have sent him off the edge, as he sat down, letting his feet dangle. He wondered what it would've been like, accidentally taking a wrong step and falling to his death. Would he have regretted that fate?

He shook himself out of that headspace. He couldn't do that, not before he figured out why he was in this dimension. If he died now, there was a chance that this place would never go back to normal. He could never forgive himself if he ended up ruining Mabel's life.

He sighed and flopped down onto the ground. His legs were still dangling off the cliff, but the grass was soft and comfortable. He missed sleeping outside.

He stared up at the constellations and smiled. He really loved the stars, you'd be surprised how many dimensions didn't have them, and soon found that he was really tired. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, legs still dangling freely above the abyss.

For once he didn't have any dreams. His sleep was deep and undisturbed, and he felt like he was actually getting rest for once. It was nice while it lasted.

Dipper didn't know how long it had been since he fell asleep when he heard someone yelling.

He opened his eyes and looked around blearily, not appreciating being interrupted from his peaceful slumber. Who was making such a racket at this time in the morning? Dipper sat up and rubbed his eyes.

The shout came again, "Dipper!"

He realized with a jolt who it was and woke up fully. He realized that half of his body was hanging off the edge of a cliff, yelped, and leapt to his feet.

"Dipper?! Is that you?" The panicked shout was a lot closer, and it was coming from Ford.

Dipper felt himself simultaneously calm down and panic. On one hand, he remembered the previous night and was no longer scared to be hanging off of a cliff. On the other, he realized with dread that his family was worried sick.

He was about to say something like, Don't worry! I'm over here! When Ford startled him, "Dipper, no! Don't do it!" He shouted from about six feet behind him, scaring the living daylights out of him.

He jumped violently, not realizing his mistake until it was too late. He felt himself lose his balance and fall over the side.

Ford's shout was deafening as he rushed to save his nephew, "NO!"

He tried to grab onto Dipper's arm, but missed, as he started falling.

Dipper felt himself falling, but he was strangely calm. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, just falling and ending it all.

A scream echoed from deep in his subconscious mind, **PINE TREE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! SAVE YOURSELF!**

That snapped him out of it. What was he doing? He couldn't die yet, he couldn't do that to Mabel.

He concentrated, which was difficult while in freefall, and called upon Bill's power. Blue flames burst from his feet and hands, and his fall abruptly stopped. He was about ten feet off the ground. He stayed in midair for a moment, breathing hard. Had he really almost…?

It took a minute for the shock to dissipate and it was replaced with dread. What was he supposed to tell Ford? He knew what the situation looked like, and the fact that he actually fell probably didn't improve matters.

He used his flames to boost him upwards, knowing he had no other choice. It was not a pretty sight. Ford was on his knees, sobbing, and shaking uncontrollably.

With his enhanced hearing he could barely make out what he was saying in between sobs, "N-No… No! Why? H-How could I let this happen? I'm so s-s-stupid. Now he's- now-" He broke off into another fit of sobs.

Dipper couldn't stand seeing a member of his family in so much pain, "Grunkle Ford? Are you okay?" He asked, boosting faster towards him.

Ford looked up, and Dipper couldn't even begin to imagine what went through his head at that moment. Dipper landed on the ground and rushed to his uncle.

On one hand, his nephew just used Bill's power. Dipper waited for the backlash but instead was tackled in a tight hug.

He was surprised, as he never took Ford for much of a hugger. But decided to let it happen. He stayed silent, knowing it was best for Ford to let all of his emotions out uninterrupted.

It was only when he started sobbing out apologies that Dipper had to interject, "Why are you apologizing? None of this, nothing that happened to me was in any way your fault," He said, genuinely confused.

"Don't even try to argue. I know you blame yourself for the whole Bill scenario, but it wasn't your fault. It was Bill's. You were the victim in the situation, so you're not allowed to take the blame for it. And as for me, I'm the idiot who decided it was a good idea to break a statue with a demon's power inside it. It was my fault," He continued.

Ford pulled away from the hug, the tears had stopped, but the pain on his face was still there, "Why? Why did you do it?" He asked.

Dipper quickly shook his head, "It's not what it looks like. I would never do that to Mabel, or Stan, or you. I just went to take a walk last night and fell asleep. I lost my balance and fell," he said.

"Do you promise that you're telling the truth?" Ford asked.

"Yes, I swear it," Dipper said, raising his hand to his mouth to draw blood.

Ford caught his wrist, a look of, What the actual hell do you think you're doing? On his face.

Dipper caught his mistake and nearly laughed, "Sorry. I forgot you guys don't use blood oaths here anymore," He said.

To his shock, Ford burst out laughing. Maybe it was hysterical, maybe it was because of the overload of stress, but Dipper felt the grip on his wrist loosen and he pulled it free. Ford couldn't say anything, he just laughed.

He found himself laughing too. Pretending to be offended, he said, "Hey! It's been a while,"

When Ford's laughter finally stopped, he looked seriously at Dipper, "But if you ever really feel that way you'll come to talk to me, right?" He asked.

Dipper nodded down, pushing down the feeling of guilt at causing his uncle such worry, "Right," He said.

Ford nodded, satisfied, "Let's go home. Mabel's worried sick about you," He said.

Dipper winced, "I'm sorry," He said.

"You have absolutely nothing to apologize for," Ford said firmly.

He nodded, "You know where my power comes from, don't you?" He asked tentatively.

Ford laid a hand on his shoulder, "That can wait, son. Let's go home," He said.

Dipper agreed and they headed back to the shack. Dipper couldn't help but notice that Ford didn't let go of his shoulder until they crossed into the safety of the front door of their home.

When Mabel saw Dipper, she crushed him in a hug, "Where have you been? We were so worried about you!"

Dipper smiled, "Sorry, I just went for a walk," He said.

Mabel laughed, "What is it with you and walks? You should be banned," She said.

He laughed, "Yeah, I really should've spotted the pattern," He said.

Stan walked up to him, "Kid, I'm not sure whether I should hug you or punch you," He said.

Dipper chuckled wryly, "I wouldn't blame you either way," He said.

Ford shot his brother a look, "You are not going to punch him, Stanley,"

"Fine, fine. But you are going to tell us where you've been, aren't ya?" He asked.

"As I said, I was just taking a walk, then I fell asleep. I'm sorry if I worried anyone. I'm going down to the lab, and get some analysis gone," He said.

Stan caught his arm, "For Moses' sake, kid. You're worse than Ford. Get in here and eat something," He said.

Dipper complied but noticed the pained expression on his Grunkle Ford's face as he did. What was wrong with him? He made a mental note to grill him about it later.

"Alright, alright," He said, smiling as he was pulled along.

After breakfast, Ford ushered him down to the lab.

He sat down in a chair and gestured to one across from him, "Have a seat," He said.

Dipper dutifully sat, preparing himself for interrogation.

"So…" Dipper said, breaking the hard silence.

"How did you obtain Bill's power? What really happened?" Ford asked.

Dipper swallowed. It was going to be hard, but he owed him an explanation. He took a deep breath and began telling the whole story.


	7. Dipper and Ford Bonding Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hardcore angst coming up. There will be comfort and solidarity, though, don't worry!

"When I was first pulled into the Nightmare Realm, I woke up to a couple of demons trying to eat my face. Normal Dipper would've had no chance, but I used Bill's power to get away. He spoke in my mind and told me that he was too weak to exist on his own and essentially had to combine our forms. I gained the remaining amount of his knowledge and power. Then he just… disappeared. It was like he was never there. I used his power pretty naturally after that, and I didn't hear from him often," Dipper explained.

"What do you mean, often? Do you still hear him in your mind?" Ford demanded, jumping on his choice of words.

Dipper was tempted to lie about Bill's presence in his mind. He knew Ford wouldn't take it extremely well, but he didn't. Lies only ever hurt people, he winced, thinking of Weirdmageddon, "I don't really know how to explain it. You know that little voice that tells you not to do dumb or harmful things that could potentially get you killed? Yeah, that's Bill," He said.

Ford stared at him for a second, processing what he just said, "So what you're saying is that all the common sense in your brain is Bill?" He asked.

"Pretty much," Dipper admitted, slightly embarrassed.

Ford's face morphed into one of horror, "Oh, God! I don't need to start hiding the forks from you, do I?" He asked.

"No, no, no! He doesn't have any control over me, I swear. It's just… When I get bogged down in my dark thoughts, he kind of helps snap me out of it. Like back at the cliff. If he hadn't been there, I might not be here right now," He admitted.

Ford visibly tensed, "You said you weren't going to-"

Dipper cut him off, "I wasn't! It's just that I got caught up in the moment and I almost didn't think of the consequences. It won't happen again, I promise," He said.

When Ford didn't relax, he hastily said, "I'm sorry. I was an idiot," Dipper said.

"Don't call yourself an idiot," Ford automatically said.

"Sorry," He said.

"And don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong," Ford reassured him.

He came to a sick realization about what would've really happened if he didn't save himself at the last second, and a feeling of self-loathing washed over him. Forgetting Ford's presence he thought, God, I really am an idiot. If I would've- I can't believe how selfish I was.

"D-Mason," Ford said, trying to comfort him.

Dipper winced at the name use. Only Kira ever called him that. If he would have let himself fall, then he would've failed her again. He promised her that he'd live. She wouldn't have been the only one he failed. Another realization hit him, this one even more jarring than the last.

He was in the wrong dimension. The young Dipper, the correct Dipper, had somehow disappeared when he was sucked into this dimension. He was the reason why Mabel didn't have her brother, but that she had this failure of a young man. Horror filled him, along with grim acceptance. Of course, he didn't belong in this dimension. Why else would no one have aged while he was gone? He also learned a long time ago that nothing good in the multiverse ever lasted for him.

He didn't notice he was shaking until Ford laid a steady hand on his shoulder, "Hey, stop beating yourself up," He said.

Dipper barely noticed, "God, I need to fix this," He mumbled.

His uncle was confused, "What?"

"I'm such a screwup, I can't believe-" He continued.

"Hey, don't-" He began.

"I'm so sorry, Ford. I don't belong here-" He looked into his great uncle's eyes with a look of despair.

"Enough!" He shouted, pounding on the desk.

Dipper fell silent, shocked at his response.

"Don't you ever say that again!" He shouted. In a quieter voice, he continued, "Of course you belong here. You're my nephew. I love you, Dipper, you're- You're like a son to me," He said.

Dipper shook his head. He wanted so badly to enjoy the praise, but he couldn't. It wasn't fair to Ford, "I'm not your Dipper. I'm not anyone's Dipper. As far as the multiverse and the Time Police are concerned, I shouldn't exist. I should've died three years ago," He said.

"Dammit, Dipper! Stop- Stop-" He broke off, seemingly unable to finish his sentence.

"Stop what?" Dipper asked, bewildered.

"Stop-" Ford's shout cut off and was replaced by a very quiet voice, "Stop acting like me," He said, looking away.

Okay, now Dipper was more confused. Why wouldn't Ford want him to take after him? He was a brilliant scientist, and a hero of the multiverse, "What? Why?" He asked.

"You're so closed off and cold. You insist upon living on coffee. You can't trust anyone you meet. You can't even sleep without a blaster nearby. Dipper, I'm so sorry. I never wanted this for you," He said.

Dipper blinked, staring at his uncle. So that's why he was so uncomfortable when Stan compared him to Ford. That's what those uncomfortable looks were about.

Suddenly, without warning, he burst out laughing. He couldn't decide whether it was hysterical or not, but he laughed all the same.

Ford was bewildered, "Why are you-" He began, but stopped. Laughing was better than crying.

Once Dipper could breathe again, he managed to choke out, "Dude, what even is your guilt complex? The second I start acting like you, so you claim, you blame yourself for all of my problems? You're not giving me enough credit, I've screwed a lot of things up in my life. None of it's your fault. So stop with the bullshit," He commanded.

Ford managed something between a sob and a chuckle, "I can still ground you, you know,"

"You can't ground me for calling out your bullshit guilty conscience," Dipper said, "Stan will back me up on this one," He declared.

Ford sniffed, "Traitor," He said.

"Do you want to ask more questions? There's a lot I still haven't told you," Dipper offered.

Ford shook his head, "I think that's enough for today. We can talk more tomorrow," He said.

Dipper nodded, he knew that this was difficult for his grunkle. Hell, it was difficult for him. He didn't want to bring back all of the pain associated with those memories. At the same time, he knew that he couldn't keep things bottled up anymore. Even if he was in the wrong dimension, he needed to make it work until he could figure out how to bring the correct Dipper back.

He nodded and pointed upstairs, "Coffee?" He asked.

Ford nodded his ascent, "I think that sounds like a good idea,"

So the two headed upstairs, had coffee, and talked. They talked about every little thing that happened to them, good or bad. But Dipper tried to keep his Portal days out of it. They talked about their childhood memories, twin moments, and embarrassing stories all afternoon. And, at the moment, Dipper wished that he could just stay in this dimension.

_Why can't I just have something permanent for a change?_


	8. Memory Hurts, Memory Heals

Dipper woke up the next morning to Mabel three inches above his face.

"Dipper, wake up!" She said brightly.

He nearly jumped out of his skin as he scrambled back. He screamed in an alien language, Kira's native tongue.

Mabel's eyes widened, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Dip! It's just me, it's Mabel. You're okay, you're safe," She quickly reassured him, rushing to his side.

Dipper felt his heart rate slow down, "God, Mabel. Don't do that," He panted.

"Sorry. Do you want breakfast? I'm gonna try to make rainbow pancakes!" She grinned.

Dipper felt himself smile, he really wanted to have some more time with Mabel. He missed their brother-sister bonding, "How are you going to make them rainbow? We don't have any food coloring," He pointed out.

"Mabel grinned, "Simple things like that will never stop me from making rainbow pancakes!" She declared.

Dipper sighed, "I don't think you're supposed to put sprinkles, jelly beans, and glitter in pancake batter," He said.

"Boo! Glitter makes everything better! Besides, I know you'll eat them," She said.

He pretended to be offended, "I don't eat everything, Mabel," He said.

"Oh, right, I forgot. You're some kind of alien that only lives on coffee," She ribbed him.

He rolled his eyes, "Fine, fine, you win. Of course, I'll eat the pancakes," He said.

"Sweet! I have soooooo many questions I want to ask you," She said.

Dipper was visibly uncomfortable, "If you want to know something about the future, then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. Even if I did know anything about this dimension's future, I couldn't tell you. The Time Police hate me enough as it is," He said.

She shook her head, "I wanna know about the multiverse! Grunkle Ford never talks about it, so I hoped you would," She said.

At the uneasy look on Dipper's face, she quickly amended, "None of the bad stories. I just want to know what life was like for you. I'm sorry I asked, I get why you wouldn't want to talk about it," She said.

"No, no, no. It's fine. Ask me anything," He smiled.

Mabel's eyes lit up, "Really?"

"Within reason," Dipper quickly said, "Nothing about Earth's future, or anything about the last three years," He said.

She nodded, "Got it. Let's go downstairs," She said.

The two headed downstairs, and Dipper made a pot of coffee. He offered some to Mabel, but she shook her head, "No thanks! I'll make some Mabel juice after this," She said.

"What even is Mabel juice?" Dipper questioned.

"It's my secret formula. I can't risk telling someone in case it gets out to the public," She explained.

He shuddered to imagine a world where Mabel juice was a common beverage, "That's probably a good idea," He said.

She got to work on the pancakes, pulling out the batter ingredients, and her own special ones. He noted the presence of glitter, sprinkles, jelly beans, and a couple old things of food dye. Knowing his Grunkle Stan, the dye could very well be over fifteen years old.

"So. How would you describe the multiverse in general?" She asked.

He frowned and thought about it for a second, "Infinite. Overwhelming at times. Very weird. You have no idea how many times I've switched dimensions and just had a complete mental breakdown. It's not easy going through places that seem to be dedicated to giving the laws of physics the middle finger," He said.

She nodded, "Sounds like a lot," She said, mixing the dry ingredients in a bowl.

"What did you do out there?" She asked.

"I was, probably still am, a criminal out there. My group and I traveled the multiverse, toppled tyrannical kingdoms, helped those in need, and cheated and stole from all the rich jerks. The Time Police hated us. We used to go to alternate realities and make sure that Weirdmageddon didn't happen there. We didn't want an alternate version of Bill destroying the multiverse. Of course, we probably created a lot of time anomalies. Last time I checked, my head was worth about ten million units," He said.

"Whoa, two million? Wait, what group? Did you travel with anyone while you were there?" She asked.

Dipper took a deep breath, "Yeah, I did. I made four really good friends when I was out there. Their names were Natasi, Xaror, Rune, and- and Kira," He choked out the last name.

"Cool! What did you do?" She asked, continuing to make the batter.

"Huh?" He asked, confused at the vague wording of her question.

"Well, you must have a lot of stories to tell! What adventures did you have?" She asked brightly.

"Oh, heh," He chuckled slightly, "Yeah, we did have a lot of good times,"

"Tell me everything! What were they like?" She asked eagerly.

Dipper smiled and found himself lost in the memories, "Well, Xar always acted tough, but he was really just a big teddy bear. He was our medic, saved my life more times than I can count. And Nat, heh, she was short but fierce. That girl was terrifying with a blaster, taught me how to use one. She gave me the blaster I have now. As for Rune, well, they were pretty closed off at first, but they were really nice when I got to know them. Their pickpocketing and lying skills could rival Grunkle Stan's. They taught me almost everything I know about stealth and spying. And Kira, she- She was the most incredible girl I've ever known. She was the most bright and sunny person. Even when there was no hope left in a situation and we were fighting to the death, she never gave up, and never stopped having fun. Just having her around would immediately brighten my day. She could always break me out of a dark place with just a teasing remark and a punch to the shoulder. I miss her… I miss her every day," He said.

A contented silence filled the kitchen. The only sound was the whisk lightly hitting the bowl as Mabel combined the wet and dry ingredients.

Dipper felt simultaneously like a wound had been reopened and like he was finally letting out all of his bottled up emotions. A strange sense of pain and relief filled him, and he couldn't decide whether he felt like laughing or crying.

After a long time passed, Mabel decided that he was ready for more questions, "What are your favorite stories?" She asked.

Dipper felt his heart immediately lighten as he remembered all the good times he and his friends had. He grinned, "Who do you want to know about?"

"How about this 'Xar' guy? Was he cute?!" She asked.

Dipper laughed, "Well, he was about seven feet tall, had blue skin, and really black eyes. No irises, just pupils. Also, he'd probably be about 28 now. Wow, time flies. Anyway, my best story about him has to be…" Dipper chuckled maniacally, oh, he was going to have fun with this.

"I remember that he used to be terrified, absolutely terrified of cats. It was so weird. He freaked out every time we were near one and hid behind Natasi, which looked ridiculous because she was two feet shorter than him. Anyway, when you can only imagine his reaction when we went to the cat dimension. The look on his face! If only I had a camera. When we got there, he literally fainted! No joke, he full-on passed out. Then, when he woke up, Natasi decided to mess with him a bit. She bought a cat ears headband and magically bound it to him. Whatever he did, he could not get rid of it. After he yelled at all of us for about ten minutes straight, he finally just accepted his fate and wore the cat ears. From then on, he never went anywhere without them. And that's the story of how Xar got over his fear of cats," He finished the story.

Mabel doubled over and started howling with laughter. She couldn't talk for a full five minutes, she was laughing so hard. Eventually, she stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Oh my God! That is amazing! Also, he totally had a thing for that Natasi girl," She said.

Dipper blinked, "What? Where did that come from?"

She snorted, "Jeez, Dip. You're a genius and an adult, but you're still so oblivious! He literally kept a prank gift from her and wore it forever. If that's not love, I'll eat my sweater!"

What? There was never anything like that between Nat and Xar. Mabel was just reading too much into the situation like she always did. Then again… They were always closer than the rest of the group. And he really did keep those ears until his dying day. Dipper even remembered Nat offering to reverse the spell, but he refused.

It dawned on him that Mabel was probably correct, "Oh. Oh, OH!" He cried.

"What?" Mabel asked, confused.

Dipper turned red and smacked his forehead, "It's just… A lot of things suddenly make a lot more sense now," He said.

She giggled, "What kind of things?"

He turned even redder, "None- Nothing that should be mentioned in front of a thirteen-year-old,"

Mabel went back to stirring the pancake batter, "What other stories do you have?" She asked.

"Hmmm. Well, I do remember a funny one about Rune…" He started telling her the story.

It was nice, having someone to remind him that his years with his group weren't all bad. He liked reminiscing about the good times, and it was fun to goof off with his sister again.

As they talked Mabel enlisted Dipper's help in choosing what went into the pancake batter. Thankfully, he managed to talk her out of the food dye when they realized that it was in fact fifteen years past its expiration date.

When the pancakes were done, they looked less like the word 'rainbow', and more like the word 'biohazard'. Still, they were food, and he wasn't about to let them go to waste. They actually weren't bad. The jelly beans gave them a sort of character.

Everything was going so well. So of course the conversation had to turn sour.

Mabel looked at him, and noticed the ring on his finger, "What is that ring? Where did you get it?" She asked.

Dipper swallowed. Now she was wandering into dangerous territory. He never knew whether he could keep it together or not when Kira was mentioned.

Regardless, he had to try to respond to the question, "It's my wedding ring. I was married for about a year to a wonderful girl," He said.

"Who? What happened to her?" Mabel asked.

Dipper took in a shaky breath, "Her name was Kira. Kira Pines. Agni was her maiden name. I was Nineteen, and she was sixteen. We got married in the Matrimonial Dimension. Technically we did it to get out of there, at least two people from each group of travelers have to marry if they ever want to leave, those were the rules. So we did," He said.

"What happened to the people in your group?" Mabel asked gently.

He really didn't want to answer this one. He knew what painful memories it would bring back, but he also knew that he had to finally get it off of his chest, "We just escaped dimension 103, the Sweets dimension. The king there was horrible, he overworked his factory personnel, didn't allow anyone freedom, and just sat there while his kingdom was horribly impoverished. So, as I said before, our group was looking for tyrants to cheat and steal from, and this Marshmallow King seemed perfect. It was a fairly easy job, and soon we managed to liberate and evacuate the whole dimension. We hopped a couple of ones over, and we underestimated Marshmallow's influence. We camped out, and I took watch. While I was doing so, I took a walk. I didn't think that there could be assassins coming after us so quickly. When I came back, everyone was gone. The assassins killed them because I took a walk," He stared hard at his pancakes, still feeling the agony like it was fresh.

He heard something crash to the floor, and Mabel's arms were around him. She was hugging him tightly and fiercely, whispering reassurances into his hair.

He felt himself losing his composure as he started sobbing into her shoulder. When he was sitting down, she was taller than him. For a second, it felt like old times, when Mabel loved to gloat about the millimeter she had on him.

He clung to her like a lifetime as he sobbed out ten years of sorrow. He felt guilty about losing it like that, and when he could talk again, voiced his apology, "I'm s-o-sorry. You didn't ask for my sob story," He said.

Mabel held him at arm's length, her expression fierce and unyielding, "Stop it with the sorries. You're my little brother. I'll always be here for you, good times or bad," She said.

He chuckled softly, "I'm not sure if the five minutes counts anymore,"

She shook her head, "It'll always count,"

He laughed at that, "Okay, sis. Awkward sibling hug?"

"Awkward sibling hug," Mabel agreed.

"Pat, pat," They said in unison, before pulling away.

Dipper felt okay again and, though okay wasn't great, it was something. He smiled gratefully at his twin, "Now, do you want to do a syrup race?" He asked.

She grinned devilishly, "Challenge accepted,"

The two goofed off, and he knew that she probably wouldn't be asking more questions about his time as an interdimensional robin hood anytime soon.

His constant paranoia was just starting to ease when something completely unexpected happened. Wendy walked into the room!

Dipper stared at his once good friend and childhood crush, then at Mabel. What were they supposed to tell her?

She yawned, "Hey, Mabel, and…" She broke off, studying Dipper more closely, "Mabel's… Cousin?" She asked.

The twins exchanged a look, and Mabel started to explain, "Uh, Wendy? I know this might be hard to believe, but this is Dipper. He got sucked into the portal for ten years, and he was brought back to now," She said.

Wendy's eyes were wide, "Holy shit. You serious?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's me," Dipper said.

She still looked shocked, "But, when did you get so old… and hot?" She asked.

Good old Wendy, always straight up about her opinions. The idea that his impossible crush would ever call him 'hot' was so ridiculous that he had to wonder for a second if this was all 13-year-old Dipper's dream, and he would wake up to be back in that sweaty adolescent nightmare. He shuddered, _Make me go through all the hell of the multiverse again, but if I have to go through puberty again, just kill me._

"I don't really know all of the details myself. All I know is that I was sucked into the multiverse for ten years, and when I came back, everyone was the same as before I left," He said.

"Well, it's good to have you back, then." She said.

He smiled, "It's nice to see you again. I never thought I would,"

"Yeah," She said.

Dipper gave her a one-armed hug, which she returned. She was a great friend, and he hoped they could still be friends, despite the age gap. He smiled as he thought of all the dimensions he went to where he thought, Wendy would love this place.

He sketched them all out in his journal. Maybe he could show her some time.

Mabel jumped up, "I'm gonna go find Soos, he deserves to know about this too," She said.

Dipper nearly forgot about the handyman. He heard from Stan that he had some family emergency and needed to take a few days off work. He must've gotten back earlier that morning. He felt bad about forgetting about him, Soos was one of his best friends at a time. He was excited to see him again.

Soon, Mabel came in with Soos following close behind, "What was it you wanted to show me, dude?" He heard him asking.

"You'll see!" Mabel said Dipper could hear the smile in her voice.

They came into the kitchen, and Mabel pointed at Dipper, "Ta-da!"

A look of confusion crossed over his face as he stared at Dipper, "Uh, who are you?"

He laughed slightly, "Hi, Soos. Long time no see," He said.

"Huh?" He asked.

"It's me, Dipper. I'm Dipper," He said.

"What?" He asked.

Mabel cut in and explained the entire story. When she was done, the confusion on Soos' face changed into an expression of awe, "So you're from the future? That's cool, dude," He said.

He grinned, "You both haven't changed a bit. Though I guess that would make sense, I keep forgetting that no time has passed for you guys. Anyway, I'm happy to see you guys again," He said.

They sat in the kitchen, eating Mabel's radioactive rainbow pancakes, and catching up. It felt great to see them again, and as the morning hours bled into the afternoon, he had to wonder. When was the last time he was able to really have fun?


	9. Dipper and Ford: The Ultimate Nerd Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: Slightly Graphic Depictions of Violence, Self Procedure, Burning

Soon after the events of the morning, after lunch, Ford approached Dipper.

"I need to speak with you," He said, sounding serious.

Dipper couldn't help but feel a little nervous at his solemn tone. He was worried that Ford was going to kick him out, or tell him there was something wrong with him because of Bill. Though he couldn't quite blame his uncle if he did so. He knew that if he proved even a slight danger to his family then he would leave right away, no questions asked. They walked off to the side, and Dipper said, "I know what you're going to say, Ford, and I completely understand," He said.

Ford was confused, "What?"

"I understand you don't want me in your house. It's perfectly fine. I get that you think that Bill will be a possible danger. Just give me a few days-" He began.

Ford cut him off, "No, no, no. Dipper, that's not at all what I was going to say. I would never, ever, make you leave. You're my nephew. Even if he does end up being a problem, we'll figure it out together. After what I've been through, do you think I could ever live with myself if I left you alone to deal with Bill?" He asked.

"I wouldn't blame you, he destroyed your life," Dipper pointed out.

"Exactly. The last thing I would ever want is to see you go through the same thing," He said.

"I guess that makes sense," He said, still unsure.

"Not to mention the fact that Stanley would kill me," Ford pointed out.

Dipper fully conceded, "Yeah, he probably would," He said.

He still felt the urge to comfort his uncle, "But don't worry about it. I have Bill under control. I've been using his power for ten years. I haven't exactly been murder free, but I know how to control it," He said.

Ford nodded, "I trust you, Dipper," He said, trying to ignore the painful confirmation that Dipper has killed before.

Dipper smiled, knowing how much those words meant coming out of his mouth. He couldn't help but flashback to the days when he was younger when such high praise directed at him probably would've made him pass out.

"I trust you too, Grunkle Ford," He said, "So, what did you want to tell me before?"

"Oh!" Ford said, "When I initially came to Gravity Falls to study anomalies, my research assistant and I built a secret laboratory. The basement in the shack is getting a bit small, so I was hoping you'd help recover it." He said.

"The bunker? Oh, man. That brings back memories," He laughed.

"Huh?" Ford asked.

"When I was a kid- Uh, I mean, a couple of months ago, Mabel, Wendy, Soos, and I found it. We had a bit of a run-in with the Shapeshifter. We thought he was the author at first. He attacked us and, well, long story short, we froze him. We left with more questions than answers. Fidds never told me much about it, though. I didn't know that he helped build it," Dipper mused.

"Fidds?" Ford questioned, confused as to how Dipper knew his research assistant's nickname. Usually, the kids just called him, 'Old Man McGucket'. And a few more rude names from some brats, to whom Ford would rather like to get his hands on. The idea of anyone insulting his old assistant after all he's been through made his blood boil. Dipper's eyes widened, "Oh! I've met the younger Fiddleford in a different dimension. He was a nice guy. He usually never let me meet you, because of possible time paradoxes. Probably smart, the time police hate me enough as it is," He said.

Ford laughed, "He always was the cautious one. Did I ever tell you about the time I- Nevermind, it's not important," He seemed to reconsider his story halfway through, cutting it short.

Dipper shrugged, his curiosity was of much less value to him than his uncle's privacy, "So you wanted to go and reclaim the place? Maybe get rid of the Shapeshifter while we're at it," He asked.

Ford nodded, "Essentially, yes. It should be a rather low risk, but I would recommend bringing a weapon in case Shifty's somehow managed to escape," He said.

"Way ahead of you, Ford," Dipper said, pulling the blaster out from inside his sweater.

He raised his eyebrows, to which Dipper responded defensively, "What? You can't be too careful," He said.

"Son, we're going to need to have a talk about your trust issues," Ford said.

Dipper laughed incredulously, "You have absolutely no right to tell anyone they're being paranoid, Mr. Trust No One," He said.

Ford had to laugh at that one, "Fair enough," He said.

"Well, what are we waiting for, let's go!" Dipper said. Even though he wasn't about to admit it, the idea of an adventure with his childhood hero still made his heart race with excitement.

Ford smiled and they began to head out the front door, but Stan blocked them.

"Where are you nerds goin'?" He asked.

Dipper grinned, "We're going to go reclaim a secret laboratory from a shapeshifting monster," He said brightly.

Stan appeared to have nothing to say to that.

"We'll be back in time for dinner," Ford added.

Stan nodded, and Dipper headed out the door. Ford was about to follow him, but Stan caught his shoulder, "If something happens to the kid-" He said.

Ford nodded, "I'll protect him with my life," He said.

The two men shared a nod of understanding and Ford went after Dipper.

The walk through the woods was long, but it seemed shorter as Dipper and Ford chatted amiably. Ford could almost pretend that he was talking to the Dipper that still idolized him more than anyone. He instantly felt guilty for longing for that version of his nephew. Of course, this Dipper didn't idolize him, because he was better than him.

That was all Ford could ever ask from the boy, and he was really proud of him.

Soon, the two reached the entrance to the bunker.

Dipper shuddered involuntarily, and at Ford's look of concern said, "Sorry, bad memories," He said.

Ford's worry increased when he said, "Are you sure you want to do this? We can always come back some other time," He said.

Dipper shook his head, "Nah, I'll be fine. I've been through worse," He said and led the way into the bunker.

Ford ignored the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach as he followed his nephew, after all, Shifty was frozen. There was nothing to worry about… Right?

The two entered the room with the tiles. Dipper was about to step on one when Ford caught his arm.

"Careful. You almost activated the trap," He warned.

Dipper looked down and jumped out of the way, "Whoa! That was close. I remember what happened when I first came down here. We would've been crushed if I didn't have the journal. Also, Soos found a Smez Dispenser. In retrospect, probably shouldn't have let him eat that stuff," He said.

"Wait, you found Fiddleford's Smez dispenser?" Ford asked, "I lost that thing thirty years ago!" He said.

Dipper's eyes widened, "That is some expired shit right there," He said.

Ford snorted, "Yeah. I can't believe your gopher friend managed to find it. I spent an hour looking for that stupid thing," He said.

"I don't remember where he found it, but I've learned that sometimes the people we discredit the most for their lack of traditional intelligence, are often smarter than we ever will be," Dipper said, thoughtfully.

Ford mulled over that statement and had to wonder when his grand-nephew became so wise. He couldn't help but beam with pride. If he had anything at all to do with Dipper becoming such a fine young man, then he felt fulfilled, "Well said, my boy. Well said," He said.

As the two ventured further into the bunker, Dipper began to recall his first time here. He remembered the Shapeshifter's attack, the laptop, and Wendy. He almost laughed as he remembered his childish crush on her. These days it was impossible to imagine ever loving someone like that again, anyone other than his wife at least. Still, it was nice to think that they could still be good friends.

He enjoyed the comfortable silence as the two began to head towards the room with the Shapeshifter. Dipper knew that there were a million things he still needed to say to his Grunkle, but for now, he let himself enjoy the peace of silence. Dipper once again felt the solidarity and comfort of spending time with his kindred spirit, something that he never thought he'd have the luxury to do again. It struck him just how lucky he was, after all, he had the best family in the world.

Finally, they reached the room where the Shapeshifter was. Ford strode ahead towards the freezing chamber, his nose buried in the Journal. So naturally, he didn't notice the large hole in the glass.

Just as Dipper was about to shout a warning, before even his heightened senses could warn him, he felt a blade pressed against his neck.

"Don't move," He heard a whisper in his ear that he recognized all too well.

"You!" He hissed, "How did you-" He cut off when the blade was pressed tighter against his throat.

"No talking either," The Shapeshifter hissed at him.

He decided to comply for the moment, his mind already racing to come up with a plan.

"Well, well, well. Long time no see old friend," The raspy-voiced creature hissed.

Ford whipped around and was horrified to see that the Shapeshifter was free, and it had Dipper.

He pulled out his gun, training it at the creature, "You! I was a fool not to get rid of you when I had the chance," He snarled.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I have your nephew," He said.

"Go ahead and shoot him, I'm-" Dipper tried to articulate a reassurance, but was cut off halfway through by the knife pressed against his windpipe. He stayed perfectly still, not wanting to slit his own throat.

"Drop your weapon," Shapeshifter commanded.

Without a second thought, he threw his blaster to the side.

The Shapeshifter, seemingly enjoying the power of his leverage, pressed the knife a little harder against Dipper's neck, drawing blood. Dipper cried out involuntarily, more from the unpleasant memories having a knife to his throat brought back rather than the pain of drawing blood.

"Dipper!" Ford cried.

"Let me out of here, or the boy dies," The creature demanded.

Ford looked conflicted, and Dipper knew why. If this creature was released, who knows what kind of havoc it could be capable of wreaking. It could kill so many people.

Luckily, Dipper knew that his uncle knew this better than anyone. There was no way he would risk thousands of lives just for him. Besides, his demonic abilities allowed him to survive a lot, he could probably survive his throat being slit. He almost laughed at the creature, how stupid could it possibly-

"Every minute you make me wait is another injury for your precious nephew!" The Shapeshifter announced, removing the knife from Dipper's neck and stabbing it deep into the front of his shoulder.

Dipper inhaled sharply, not expecting the sudden attack.

"Well?" The monster demanded, twisting the knife.

A strangled cry escaped him as pain made his vision blur.

"Fine," Ford blurted out.

What?! He was seriously going to endanger the world just for his sake? Dipper yelled, "Ford! Are you crazy! Don't- Ah!" He yelped as the knife was ripped out of his shoulder and pressed violently against his throat once more.

"Stop! Please, let him go," Ford begged in a desperate voice.

"Let me out of here and your nephew is all yours. Unless you want me to go for a more permanent injury," He said, hovering the knife above his chest.

Alright, that was it. Since he had no other option, he had to go with his last resort. He couldn't just let this thing go.

"That's enough!" He shouted, flames exploding from his body.

For a minute, he felt rage consume him. He enjoyed the agonized screams of the monster as it turned to ash. He wanted to burn the whole place to the ground. He wanted to watch the world turn to ash.

He faintly heard Ford's scream through his haze of power, "Dipper! Stop!"

He gasped as he realized what he was doing and, with a herculean effort, stopped the flames.

His vision blurred and went dark as he distantly felt himself falling.

As soon as the flames dissipated, Ford rushed to his nephew, catching him before he could reach the ground. Panic filled him as he noticed the blood pouring from his shoulder and his neck! Ford checked, and a wave of relief crushed him as he noticed it was only a shallow cut. He could feel his nephew's pulse pounding steadily against his shaking fingers. He was alright.

Ford exhaled, at least he was alive. At that moment, nothing else mattered to him. He didn't care that Dipper almost burned down the entire lab using Bill's flames, the only thing that mattered was that he was alive.

Ford shook him gently, "Dipper, son, are you alright?"

He didn't even stir, and dread filled the older man.

"Dipper, wake up!" He said, a little louder than before.

He felt his worry turn into full-on panic as he shook his unresponsive boy. He had horrifying images of his nephew's pulse stopping, Mabel's tears, Stanley's anger, and his overwhelming guilt as he realized that he had killed his own nephew.

He began shaking as he shook his nephew frantically, "DIPPER!" He screamed.

Then, a dam broke and he started to cry, "Please, I beg you. Don't take my nephew. He's just a boy," He sobbed to an unknown deity.

"Grunkle Ford?" Dipper asked weakly.

"Oh, thank heavens! Are you alright?" Ford asked.

Dipper winced as he grabbed the front of his shoulder, "Don't worry, I've had worse," He whispered weakly.

The notion was far from reassuring. Ford shuddered unwanted visions of what could possibly be considered worse than being held hostage at knifepoint filling his head.

Dipper, misunderstanding Ford's shudder, said, "Don't worry, I've been held hostage before. It's not so bad. Well, at least it wouldn't be if this dimension wasn't so intolerant towards magic. It might take days until my healing factor's back," He said.

"Healing factor?" Ford questioned.

"Most of the time when I get an injury, Bill's power heals it almost instantly. But since I used all of my power in that blast, I'm going to have to fix it up the old fashioned way until it recharges," He said, pulling off his shirt.

He looked down at the wound and his heart sank. It was worse than he feared, the attack was brutal enough to create a wound that couldn't be fixed with stitches. He forced the bile rising up his throat to go down, and mentally chided himself, Don't be a baby. Xar taught you how to handle this. It only hurts for a little bit.

He reached out to grab the knife that Shifty, as Ford addressed him, attacked him with. He used his removed shirt to wipe the blood off, and he would later use it as a makeshift bandage. He snapped his fingers and, thank goodness, he was still able to summon a flame. It was no hotter than a regular fire. Yikes, I really did a number on my power supply. He thought.

"What are you doing?" Ford asked, bewildered.

Dipper sighed, "I'm gonna cauterize it," He said, holding the knife to his generated fire.

Ford's face contorted in an expression of horror, "No. Absolutely not! There is a hospital nearby. We can call an ambulance," He said.

Dipper shook his head, "Hospitals mean questions and bills, and they take too long. I need to fix this up before I lose any more blood," He said.

Ford looked like he was going to throw up, "How do you even know how to do that?" He asked.

"Practice. I once traveled with a skilled medic named Xaror. He taught me how to do a lot of medical procedures. Nice guy," He said.

Still noticing the horror on his uncle's face, he added, "You can look away if you want. It'll only take a second," He said.

Ford shook his head in disbelief, "At least let me-"

"No!" Dipper yelped, "I mean, no, sorry. I don't let anyone perform medical procedures on me. It's okay, really," He said.

He looked down at the blade, noticing it was black, "Here we go," He muttered.

Taking a deep, fortifying breath, he shoved his shirt in his mouth, to keep him from screaming or accidentally biting his tongue, he pressed the searing knife to his wound.

It was worse than he remembered, but he forced himself to stay stoic as his shoulder exploded with agony. He felt tears fill his eyes, but kept them from falling. He was thankful for the gag in his mouth, for it muffled his screams.

Eventually, he removed the hot metal from his skin. The air smelled like burning flesh, and Dipper struggled to keep his lunch down. He reminded himself that as soon as his power regenerated, he would be able to heal it fully.

The information comforted him as he wrapped his shoulder with the shirt.

He managed a small smile for his shaking uncle, "See. That wasn't so bad," He said, his voice weak and strained.

Ford took a shaky breath and said, "I think that's enough for today. Let's go home," He said.

Dipper nodded and got up, stumbling a little. Ford caught him, and in a flash, he was supporting his nephew.

They stumbled back to the Shack. The walk was very slow, and by the time they were back, the sun had long gone down. By the time they reached the door, Dipper was barely conscious.

Ford knocked, and ignored his exhaustion, Dipper was more important.

Stanley quickly answered the door, "Ford? What took you so- Hot Belgian Waffles!" He cried, noticing his injured nephew.

In a flash, he scooped Dipper up and laid him on the couch, "What happened? I thought you said it would be safe!" Stan demanded, his shock turning into anger.

"I'll explain later. For now, we have to treat his shoulder and get him to bed," Ford said, "Get my first aid kit," He said.

For once, Stanley followed his order without question, retrieving the medical kit.

Ford unwrapped Dipper's shoulder and grabbed the peroxide.

"Sweet Moses!" Stanley cried at the gruesome-looking injury, "What the hell happened to him?"

As he cleaned Dipper's shoulder, he explained about their whole run-in with the Shapeshifter.

By the end of the harrowing tale, Stan had a lot of questions, "What do you mean he had to cauterize it? And what did you say about him having Bill's power?" He demanded.

"He insisted he perform the procedure himself. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen," Ford said.

Stanley was horrified, "Oh my God,"

"And as for Bill's power, I don't know. When he broke the statue, it seems Bill fused his power with Dipper," He said.

"Can't we unfuse it?" Stan asked.

Ford hesitated, thinking of what Dipper told him the other day, "I- I don't think that would be a good idea," He said.

"What do you mean?" Stanley asked, confused.

Ford sighed and told him what Dipper said about Bill's voice in his head, and what he had witnessed the other day.

When he was finished, Stan was shell shocked, "What happened to you, kid?" He asked the unconscious boy, who was sleeping peacefully, his shoulder properly tended to.

Ford took a shaky breath, "I don't know. But I'm scared. I don't want to lose him, Lee," He said in a small voice.

As soon as Ford revealed his true fear, Stan's protective instincts flared up. He went to his brother and hugged him, "Hey, it's okay. He's not going anywhere, none of us are going anywhere," He whispered soothingly.

When he noticed his brother wasn't consoled, he continued, "I know, Sixer. I'm scared too, but we're going to get through this together. Pines stick together, no matter what. I know the kid hasn't forgotten that." He said.

"It should've been me. I should've been the one Shifty hurt. It's my fault he was even there in the first place," Ford mumbled.

"Hey. Look at me. None of this was your fault. You couldn't have known that the damn bastard was going to escape. Dipper's okay. You did everything you could," He said.

Ford took a shaky breath, "Thank you, Stanley," He said.

"No problem, Sixer. Think we can get him upstairs?" He asked.

Ford didn't know, but said, "I think so. Is Mabel in bed?"

Stan nodded, "I told her to get some sleep a half-hour ago," He said.

They both stared at their nephew for a second, then grabbed either side of him and started lugging him up the stairs. It was a slow process, and it was a miracle he didn't wake up, but they eventually made it.

Mabel was asleep, but the tear stains on her face were obvious. She must've cried herself to sleep.

Stan left Ford to carry Dipper to bed and went to Mabel's side, "Oh, pumpkin…" He whispered, stroking her hair.

Ford laid his nephew down and realized that the pillow and blanket were gone from his bed.

He noticed them in the corner and felt a pang of sadness in his chest. Dipper must've been too anxious to sleep anywhere but in front of the door.

Ford retrieved the blanket and pillow and tucked his nephew in. He also grabbed a shirt from his closet and carefully maneuvered him into it.

Without realizing it, both twins leaned down to kiss their respective child on the forehead at the same time, then headed downstairs.

"How about we watch The Duchess Approves? I heard the finale is coming up," Ford said.

"Alright, but only cause you want to, Poindexter," He said.

Ford snorted, he knew how much his brother loved that show, even if he refused to admit it.

The two went downstairs and sat together on the couch. They didn't make it very far into the episode before they fell asleep, heads on each other's shoulder. And for the first time in ages, Ford fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.


	10. A Vital Dream, The Difficult Call

Dipper's sleep wasn't nearly as peaceful as Ford's. He was floating through nonsensical realms, as he heard indecipherable shouts.

He saw flashes of his wife, every memory of her, good or bad was flashing quickly enough in front of his eyes to cause a seizure. He felt extremely overwhelmed as his mind was bombarded with memories. The dreams didn't start really freaking him out until he saw images of Kira that he's never seen before. He started hearing a voice, Bill's voice shouting frantically. He never heard Bill sound so afraid before in his life, certainly not for him.

The words were still too garbled to understand, and the flashes were only getting faster. It was like Bill was desperately trying to tell him something, and he couldn't listen. The harder he tried, the harder it was to hear.

Just as Dipper couldn't take it anymore, the flashes and confusion stopped, replaced by a moment of clarity, and Bill's voice, She's still alive!

Dipper gasped as he bolted upright, heart going a mile a minute. He looked around frantically before he realized where he was. He was in bed, in the attic, with Mabel. He could hear her even breathing from where he was gasping for air.

The sound calmed him as the memories of what happened the previous day came flooding back, and the fact that he was in his old bed suddenly made a lot more sense. When he first arrived, he didn't want to sleep in his old bed. The idea made him uncomfortable, like he was taking over the young Dipper's life.

The dream was fading from his mind, but Bill's words didn't go with it, She's still alive.

Could Dipper even dare to hope? Could he dare to hope that Bill was being serious? Thinking about it, he never knew for sure if Kira really died. He didn't see any bodies, they were just gone. And when he went to confront the man who hired the assassins they weren't there, so of course, he assumed the worst, but what if…?

Dipper felt his heart race as all of the pieces clicked together. Kira could have escaped, she could've been in a different dimension. He felt hope fill him as he realized he never let her captor explain what he'd done to his friends. No, he killed him before he even got the chance to speak. Which meant…

Dipper searched deep into his mind and, for the first time, actively tried to contact Bill.

 _Bill! I know you're there. What do you mean, She's still alive? Is Kira okay?_ He asked, not daring to hope.

 **I meant what I said, Pine Tree. Your emotional pain is starting to get on my nerves. I think it's infecting me.** The demon replied.

 _You're serious? She's still out there?_ He asked again.

 **Yup. I searched the entire multiverse, and she's currently in Lottocron Nine.** He confirmed.

Dipper was in shock, _Why are you helping me?_ He questioned his old enemy.

 **Because I couldn't stand your constant whining anymore. We get it, you miss your girlfriend, you blame yourself, wah, wah, wah. I can't take it anymore! Please, for the sake of my nonexistent sanity. Get off your damn butt and go to her.** The demon snapped.

 _So…You're telling the truth?_ He asked, barely believing it.

 **Do you really think I'd send my host on a dangerous mission back in the multiverse, exactly where I don't want to be if I wasn't sick of your crap? Stop asking stupid questions and make a plan. I can't stand it when you're depressed, Pine Tree.** He said.

Dipper felt energy he hadn't felt in years as he leaped out of bed. It was almost like his depressing thoughts were switched off, as determination and adrenaline filled the void. He knew that she was alive, and he had to get her back.

He felt his power returning, almost by sheer force of will. He unwrapped his bandaged shoulder and noticed that it was perfectly fine. Not even a scar was there.

Without knowing what he was doing, Dipper dropped the bandage in a garbage bin and headed downstairs.

He headed to the vending machine and punched in the code. He very much hoped that the pieces of the portal were still down there, and Ford hadn't destroyed them yet. (A/N: I know the portal has probably been destroyed at this point, but for the sake of the plot, let's say the pieces are still in the lab. Thanks!)

He went down the elevator, and it only distantly occurred to him that it was about one in the morning. None of that mattered anymore. He started to twist his ring around his finger, his nervous tic, and thought about Kira. After the initial elation of learning she was alive began to dissipate, he wondered exactly how he was going to find her.

The elevator opened, and Dipper stepped out into the laboratory. He searched the whole lab until he found the pieces of the portal, not intact, but by the first glance they seemed fixable.

He knew his only shot at getting out of this dimension was rebuilding the portal, but how would he do that without Ford catching him? He knew that his uncle would never let him rebuild something that would risk their dimension's safety. So where to build it?

The bunker was immediately out. Ford was going to start going there more often after they reclaimed it. The lab was an obvious no. Stan would realize he was trying to rebuild an interdimensional gateway in secret because he did so himself. So that left him with a minimal amount of choices. He knew he was going to have to keep it in an alternate location. But where? Who could he trust enough to hide a doomsday device in their basement, who still trusted him?

His mind immediately went to Fiddleford. He built the original portal, maybe he would be able to help him fix it. He quickly dismissed it. No, Dipper couldn't do that to him. He couldn't subject him to all of those horrible memories.

He went through the options. Soos? No, he loved the guy, but he wouldn't trust him with a transuniversal polydimensional metavortex.

Wendy? She was a possibility, but her house was too small, and her family was too unpredictable. He didn't want Manly Dan destroying it by mistake.

Dipper came to an ironic realization that he had no friends, and laughed bitterly. It was a little late now to address his lack of a social life when he was a kid. He went through his whole list of friends and slight acquaintances, even considering Gideon for a hot second, when he came to a realization.

He finally came up with a name that fit his criteria, but it was a long shot. Pacifica Northwest. She lives in a big house, her parents don't care about her, and hopefully, he could cash in a favor from ten years ago. Or, a month ago, man time was confusing here!

Anyway, she was his best option for secrecy. The problem was, how to lug all of the portal equipment to her house and how to make her agree to let him use it. He knew he would have to wait until morning. Pacifica wouldn't appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night, and he couldn't risk upsetting her when asking for something so vital.

He sighed and walked back upstairs. He had no choice but to wait until the morning. When he walked back into the attic bedroom, he headed towards his bed, hoping to lay back down in bed as quietly as possible. Unfortunately for him, he tripped on what felt like a shoebox. Mabel stirred, "Dipper?" She asked sleepily.

"Hey, Mabel. I was just going to sleep. You can go back to bed," He said, softly.

Mabel sat up, "Dip? Where were you?" She asked.

Dipper sighed and turned on the lights, "Ford and I were going to reclaim the bunker, and we had a little run-in with the Shapeshifter," He said, sitting next to Mabel on her bed.

She was alarmed, "The Shapeshifter? What did he do? She asked.

"He attempted to hold me hostage to try to get Ford to let him out," He said.

Her eyes widened in fear, "He held you hostage?" She demanded.

Dipper realized how worried she was and quickly reassured her, "I only got a little cut on the shoulder. It's fine now, not even a scar, see?" He said, showing off the now completely healed injury.

"I was really worried, Dip. I thought you were-" Mabel cut off, starting to sob.

Dipper wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a comforting hug. She sobbed into his shirt, and he felt terrible. He couldn't be so reckless as to deplete his power enough to be completely unable to heal himself again. His sister, and everyone else in his family, was worried about him.

"Hey, it's okay. I know. I'm not going to die on you. I don't know if you knew this, but I have magic powers. Anyone who goes near me or anyone else in this family is gonna get a full demonstration," He said, rubbing soothing circles into her back.

"Magic powers?" Mabel sniffled.

"Yeah, you know how Bill had blue fire?" He asked.

"Yeah," She said, tears slowing down, slowly replaced by curiosity.

"Well I've got his power now, and I'm going to make sure it's used for good," Dipper said, confidently.

"Like a superhero?" Mabel asked, pulling away from the hug. Her eyes were bright, and Dipper knew he successfully cheered her up.

"Well, I don't know about that. I don't think I'm going to be an actual vigilante in this dimension, but I certainly won't hesitate to use it to protect our family," He said.

"Can you show me?" She asked.

Dipper nodded, "Sure!" And eagerly lit his fist on fire. He was eager to convince her that his power would keep her safe, and she didn't need to worry about him.

Her eyes widened, and Dipper picked up a piece of paper off of the floor to demonstrate the heat of the flames. As soon as it touched the flickering fire, it caught fire and turned to purple ash. He put out the flame, and sent the ash flying in the air.

A little flake landed on Mabel's nose, making her giggle.

Dipper was still unsure of himself, "Do you care that I have his power?" He asked.

Mabel laughed, "No way! You're still my nerdy little bro! You're going to use that power a lot better than that dumb triangle," She said.

Dipper grinned, ignoring the angry yells from deep in his subconscious, "Yeah, he really was the worst, wasn't he?"

Mabel nodded, "Definitely," She said.

The two laughed together, and Mabel yawned.

"It's late. You should go back to bed," Dipper said, noticing that it was now two in the morning.

She looked up at him, "Can you stay with me? Like when we were little?" She asked.

Before she finished, Dipper was already crawling in bed beside her. He knew she had a long day, and if she couldn't have her real twin for comfort, she might as well have the older, more jaded version.

He wrapped his arm around her protectively and fell asleep.

His dreams were full of painful memories, and every glimpse of Kira's face hardened his resolve to save her. He often wished he had found her body, so he could have closure, and apologize to her one last time. He used to have frequent nightmares about finding her body, face forever frozen in an expression of fear and loneliness. Now that he knew she was still alive, the fear was somehow simultaneously alleviated and magnified. On one hand, he knew she was alive. On the other hand, he had no idea how long she would stay that way. The anxiety that he would be too late was filling him. And he knew it would haunt him until Kira was safe in his arms again.

He awoke to sunlight streaming through the triangle-shaped window. He blinked groggily and tried not to rouse Mabel as he got up. He got dressed, put on his Pine Tree hat, and went to head downstairs. He paused in the doorway and looked back at his sleeping sister.

He wanted to let her sleep, but he had a feeling that she would panic if she woke up and he was gone. He smiled and picked a sticky note up off of the floor. He wrote, Gone downstairs for breakfast. Better get down here before it's gone. -Dipper And stuck it to her forehead.

She didn't even register the movement, just muttered something that sounded like 'Onwards Aoshima', and rolled onto her side.

He chuckled at his sister's strange dreams and headed downstairs.

When he entered the kitchen, he saw Ford sitting at the table, a mug of forgotten coffee sitting in front of him. He was running his hands through his hair and mumbling under his breath in agitation.

Dipper's brow furrowed with concern, "Grunkle Ford? Are you okay?" He asked.

Ford's gaze snapped up to his nephew, "What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting. You-"

Dipper broke off his agitated tirade by showing off his now uninjured shoulder, "Don't worry, it's fine now. My healing factor must have kicked in overnight," He said.

Ford's eyebrows scrunched together, "Fascinating. How does it work? How long do most injuries take to heal?" He asked.

Dipper smirked. Once a scientist, always a scientist. He couldn't poke fun of his uncle's nerdiness, because the question was a good one. He never bothered to learn the answer during his travels, but maybe he could figure it out, "I actually don't know. I've tried asking, but I never get a clear answer. Maybe we could go down to the lab after breakfast and run some tests," He suggested.

Ford shook his head, "That's alright, my boy. I'm- Wait. What kind of tests are you proposing?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

Dipper shrugged, too caught up in his scientific wonder to catch the underhanded question, "Just some basic tests of my abilities. Give myself injuries and see how long they take to heal and how my body deals with it," He said.

He looked at Ford and realized his mistake. His uncle's expression was one of horror, "Dipper, I'm not going to let you hurt yourself for an experiment," He said.

Dipper was confused, "But it's not going to hurt me. Besides, it would be fascinating research, you said so yourself," He pointed out.

Ford got out of his chair and grabbed Dipper's shoulders, "Son, my research is not more important than your health. I don't want to hear you suggest anything like that again. Do you understand?" He asked.

He nodded, he got the message, "Yes. I do," He said.

Ford exhaled a bit, "Alright then. What do you want for breakfast? Stanley's not awake yet, but I can make you something," He said.

Dipper waved him off, "It's fine, I can make something myself. Did you eat? I can make you something too," He said. While he didn't really feel like eating breakfast, he knew better than to argue at this point.

"Really, I can make something. I was about to anyway, I just woke up a short time ago," He said.

Dipper grinned slyly, he knew exactly how to put his uncle in checkmate, "Ford, we all know how terrible you are at cooking. I don't want you to burn down the Shack. Besides, I'm pretty sure even I'm a better cook than you," He said.

Ford raised an eyebrow, "Oh, really now? Is that a challenge?"

"You're going down, old man," Dipper grinned.

The two rushed to grab their ingredients and started making their opposing breakfasts, yelling threats, and elaborate insults across the kitchen as they cooked.

When they were finished, they ended up with a few black lava rocks that may have once had the potential to be pancakes, eggs rubbery enough to be used as tire replacements, and the sad and forgotten attempts at making orange juice laying in a sticky puddle on the counter. They even somehow managed to screw up cereal. Don't ask me how they managed that one, I genuinely have no clue, but it left Unlucky Marshmallow's practically carpeting the floor.

Dipper and Ford looked at each other, and the former said, "I think we both lose,"

Ford nodded sagely, "Yes, I would say that that is a fair outcome," He said.

"So…" Dipper trailed off, staring now at the mess in the kitchen.

"So how do ice cream and jelly beans sound?" Ford asked.

Dipper nodded, "Good enough for me," He said.

So the two made giant bowls of ice cream and brought a bag of Ford's favorite candy to the table. Dipper went to make another pot of coffee, this ironically was the only thing he could make in a normal kitchen without endangering the integrity of the whole building. He grabbed the pot and brought it to the table, pulling up a chair next to Ford.

Dipper remembered how stressed his uncle looked before, and frowned, "You looked pretty worried before. Is everything okay?" He asked.

Ford gave a weak laugh, "Everything's fine, son. It's just-" He began.

At that moment, Stan walked into the room. He had gone back to his room in the middle of the night to sleep when his back started hurting.

He froze as he saw his disaster of a kitchen, "Hot Belgian Waffles! What in the name of Sweet Paul Bunyan happened here?" He demanded.

Ford and Dipper both pointed at each other.

Stan sighed in exasperation, "I didn't ask who did it. I asked why my kitchen looks like ya started another Armageddon in it," He said.

Dipper stepped forward and explained about their attempt to make breakfast.

Stan blinked, then burst out laughing, "I knew you were a bad cook, Poindexter, but damn! This is a whole new level," He said.

"Hey! Dipper made some of this mess too," Ford defended himself.

"Yeah, where do ya think he inherited that from?" He asked.

"That's not fair! I'm not that bad of a cook," Ford snapped.

"Sixer, the ceiling is covered in pancake batter. These things don't even deserve to be called pancakes. Hell, they barely count as rocks at this point," Stan pointed out.

Ford's ears went red and he looked away, mumbling about how he wasn't used to being in a kitchen after 30 years.

Dipper chuckled, "Lay off him, Grunkle Stan. I really did make half of this mess," He said.

"Fine, fine," Stan said, then nearly choked when he thought of something else, "Ya know, if ya wanted to be famous so bad, you should've just tried to get on Worst Cooks in America," He laughed.

Ford turned even redder at that, "Shut up, Stanley," He said.

Dipper couldn't help but laugh at that one, which earned him a death glare, "Traitor," Ford said.

He held his hands up in surrender, not wanting to face his Grunkle's wrath.

Trying to distract Ford from his embarrassment, he said, "Anyway, what were you saying before? What were you so worried about?" He asked.

Ford sighed, "Dipper, I think it's time that we called your parents and told them about this," He said.

Dipper froze. After everything that had happened in the past few days, he had completely forgotten about his parents. He didn't remember that there were people in the world that would ask unanswerable questions about why he was ten years older than when they last saw him, "Oh man," He said.

"Oh man indeed," Ford agreed tiredly.

"I should call them. It's my fault I was ever stuck out there, and I don't want them to blame you guys," Dipper said.

Ford shook his head, "No, I should do it. It's my fault Bill was ever here in the first place," He said.

"Ford, you have to stop-" Dipper started a retort.

Stan cut him off halfway, "Both of you Poindexters are wrong. I should be the one to call them. The kids are my responsibility, and I let one of them get sucked into a portal," He said.

Dipper immediately replied, "You didn't let me do anything. You tried to talk me out of taking that walk, I didn't listen. It wasn't your fault that I had a panic attack, or that I punched the Bill statue. It wasn't anyone's fault but mine. And I don't regret it. I met some of the best friends I'll ever have in the multiverse. If I had a chance to do it all again, I wouldn't change what happened," He said.

Stan sighed, "I know, kid. It's just- I can't believe I let another person in my family get sucked into a different dimension," He said.

Ford was the first to object to that, "Neither of those incidents were your fault, and you shouldn't have to be the one to call them," He said.

Stan shook his head, "No, I want to. They're his parents, they deserve to know everything. Even if they don't let us see the kids," He said.

"It won't come to that," Ford reassured him, but he sounded slightly unsure.

Dipper shook his head, "I'll talk to them. I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen. I know I can convince them that this wasn't your guys' fault," He said.

Stan nodded, "You're right, kid," He said, sounding less unsure.

Ford frowned, "Are you sure you want to do this now? We can wait until after their birthday," He said.

Stan shook his head, "No. Margaret and Allen should know. After all, Dipper and Mabel are their kids," He said.

Stan picked up the phone in the kitchen and dialed the number of Dipper and Mabel's house phone.

The phone rang three times before Mr. Pines answered it, "Hello?"

Stan took in a shaking breath, "Hey, Allen. How've you been?" He asked.

"Stan?" He asked, "Why are you calling me? Is it the kids? Are they alright?" He asked, mild concern lacing his tone.

Stan didn't know how to answer that, "Uhm… About that! There's something you should know," He said.

"What is it?" Allen asked, sounding more concerned than before.

Stan looked to Ford and Dipper for help, but they shrugged helplessly. You're the one who insisted on taking the call. You can explain the summer to them.

"Well, the good news is, the kids are fine. The bad news is…" Stan trailed off.

"What? What's the bad news?" Allen asked anxiously.

Stan looked again at Ford, who whispered, "Don't tell him everything at once. Ease into it,"

Dipper gave him a thumbs up for support.

Stanley took a deep breath and in one breath said, "Dipper and Mabel kinda sorta almost got killed by a demon triangle named Bill and Dipper got sucked into a different dimension for ten years and now he's almost 23 years old,"

Dead silence on the other line.

Ford smacked his palm to his forehead. He said ease into it, not bombard the poor man with an overload of information. Well, it was too late now.

When Allen finally spoke, he said, "We're coming to Gravity Falls, now. The kids had better be alright, or I swear to God, you won't see tomorrow. Goodbye, Stanford," After he uttered those delightful words, he promptly hung up.

Stan put the telephone back on the receiver and said, "Well, I think that went well," He said.

Ford frowned, "What did he say?"  
"He told me that he and Margaret are coming up here now, and if the kids aren't okay, he's gonna commit first-degree murder," Stan said evenly.

Ford was shocked, "What!?"

Stan laughed, "It's a fair reaction. Believe me, Sixer, it'll be fine. I've gotten more death threats in my life than birthday cards," He said.

Ford was dismayed, "What?" He asked again.

Dipper cut in, "Don't worry. Dad's not going to kill anyone. Besides, it doesn't matter because both Mabel and I are safe because of you two," He said, "I'm 23, not dead," He pointed out.

"He's right, Ford. The kids are fine. And I'll be fine too," Stan said.

Ford nodded, "Of course,"

Dipper realized that he still had to make his call, and looked up the attic stairs. Mabel wasn't awake yet. He would need to borrow her phone because she was the only one who had one.

He gestured upstairs, "I'm going to go wake Mabel up. Stan, would you mind making an actual breakfast for her?" He asked.

Stan nodded and laughed, "Only after Poindexter over here cleans up my kitchen," He said.

Ford rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. He started cleaning up the gigantic mess as Dipper went upstairs.

He felt a little bad that he wasn't helping Ford clean, but he had more important things to do. Like informing Mabel about their parents and calling Pacifica.

He knocked softly on the door, "Mabel? Are you awake?" He asked.

She didn't respond.

Dipper opened the door and smiled fondly at the sight. Mabel was still fast asleep. The look on her face was happy and serene, and the sticky note he stuck to her forehead was laying on the floor.

He hated to wake her, but he needed to tell her about their parents.

Dipper walked over to her and shook her arm, "Mabel? It's time to wake up, sleepyhead," He said in a light, teasing tone.

She rolled over, "Mm," She mumbled in protest.

"There's something I need to tell you," Dipper tried.

"Sleep," She groaned into her pillow.

Dipper sighed, "Mabel, Stan just called our parents to tell them about me. They're coming right now, and they're really angry," He said, bluntly exposing the situation for her.

That got her attention, "What!?" She cried, bolting out of bed.

She advanced on Dipper, "What do you mean they're angry? What happened?" She demanded, poking him in the ribs.

Dipper held his hands up in surrender and explained the whole situation.

Mabel's attitude went from confrontational to worried, "But what if they don't believe it's you? What if they don't let me come back? What if they don't let me see you?" She asked.

Dipper put his hands on her shoulders, "I won't let that happen. And even if it does, you still have your phone. I know what your number is. Once I get one of my own, I'll text you. And I'll come to live in Piedmont as soon as I get some legal and… Other business sorted out. You can call me whenever you want, and I'll let you talk to Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford. Once I come to live in Piedmont, you can put my number as your emergency contact at school. I'll get an apartment near yours. You can see me whenever you want. No one can keep the mystery twins apart," He said.

Mabel looked reassured, "Pinkie promise?" She asked.

Dipper nodded, "Pinkie promise," He said.

The two locked their pinkies together and made the pact.

"Now come on, Grunkle Stan is making a real breakfast for you. Ford and I tried to cook one before, but…" He trailed off.

Mabel laughed, "You and Grunkle Ford tried to cook? How much damage did you do?" She asked.

Dipper rolled his eyes, but laughed, "Let's say there's a reason why Stan is making breakfast now," He said.

He suddenly remembered the call he had to make and gestured to the phone charging on Mabel's nightstand, "Can I borrow your phone for a second? There's a quick call I need to make," He said.

Mabel tilted her head, "Who do you need to call?" She asked.

Dipper sighed, "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. I wish I could, but I can't. Just know that I'm doing all of this for someone I love. Can you trust me?" He asked.

Mabel looked conflicted, and a little hurt at Dipper's response, but she nodded, "Of course I trust you, Bro-Bro. Just don't forget our promise, okay?"

Dipper nodded, "Of course," He said.

She grinned, "Then we're all good! I'm going downstairs for breakfast,"

He smiled back, "I'll be down in a minute,"

When he was sure she was out of earshot, he opened Mabel's phone and went to Pacifica's number on her contacts.

He took a deep breath and prayed that she would agree to do him this huge service.

With slightly shaking hands, he dialed her number.

She picked up on the third ring, "Ugh. What do you want, Mabel?" She asked. Her voice was exasperated but there was no venom there. Dipper felt a bit of hope fill him as he realized that she didn't completely dislike his family.

"Hey, Pacifica. It's Mason from before," He said.

"Huh? Why are you calling me?" She asked, sounding confused.

He sighed, "I'm calling you to say that I'm not who you think I am. I'm… Pacifica, it's Dipper," He said.

She was silent for a couple of seconds before she asked, "What?"

Dipper explained the whole situation to her.

She laughed, "I should've known it was you from the beginning. I have to say, I didn't take you for the tattoo type," She said.

Dipper turned red and self consciously pulled his sleeves down, "I have them to control my powers," He protested. It was true. The tattoos were of Bill, and a bunch of sealing spells. They basically kept his power from getting out of control and melting his human form. There was a reason that Dipper now always wore long sleeves.

"Sure, Dipper. Anyway, why are you calling me? Do you want something?" She asked.

He was saddened, but not surprised that that was her first assumption. After all, she wasn't wrong, "Actually, yes. Do you have somewhere in your house that your parents wouldn't stumble upon? I need to build something, and it can't be discovered by anyone. I'm not going to ask you to do anything dangerous, and your house won't be at risk, I promise," He said.

"You need to build something? What?" She asked.

He sighed, "I can't tell you, but I'm doing it to save the woman I love more than anyone else in the multiverse. If we were ever friends, Pacifica, can you do this one thing for me?" he asked.

She waited a long time before answering, "I really shouldn't blindly trust you to build some random doomsday thing in my basement. But, you did help me once, even though you had no reason to. I trust you, Dipper," She said, "Do what you need to do,"

He had never felt more grateful to anyone else in the multiverse, "Thank you so much. I can't articulate how much this means to me. I'm truly in your debt," He said.

"Don't worry about it. I'm only doing this to pay you back for what you did to help me with that ghost. I hate owing people things," She said.

Dipper smiled, "Whatever the reason, thank you for your trust. Can I ask you something else?"

"What is it?" She asked.

"My parents are coming, and they might end up taking Mabel home right away. If that happens, I won't be able to go with her. Can you keep talking to her, make sure that she isn't lonely," He asked.

She responded without missing a beat, "Of course. You better not stop talking to her, or the deal's off," She said.

"I won't," He reassured her, "You're a really good friend, Pacifica," He said.

"W-well, I wouldn't go that far. Anyway, I've gotta go. My Dad's calling me," She said, and promptly hung up.

Dipper frowned in confusion. Since when did Pacifica Northwest stutter? He shook his head, I guess some things have changed since I left. He thought as he went downstairs to eat breakfast.

As he walked down the stairs, he had only one thought, I'm coming, Kira.


	11. Separated Twins, Secret Devices

Dipper, Mabel, Stan, and Ford were playing a board game after lunch, when a sharp knock came at the door. Despite Mabel and Dipper's pleas, Ford absolutely forbade them from playing, "What could go Wrong". So they played Business: The Game instead. Stan won, obviously.

Stan and Ford exchanged worried glances, and Stan got up to answer the door.

"Hey, Allen, Margaret! It's nice to-" Stan began.

Mr. Pines pushed past him and Mrs. Pines was quick to follow. The only thing on the parents' minds were their children.

As soon as they entered the living room, Mabel launched herself at them, "Mom! Dad!" She yelled delightedly.

The two parents hugged their daughter, "Oh my gosh, Mabel!" Dad cried.

"Sweetheart, you're okay!" Mom chorused.

Mabel was confused, "Of course I'm okay. I'm a strong woman! Besides, I have Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Ford, Dipper, and my grappling hook to protect me!" She said, pulling away so she could pull out her grappling hook to demonstrate.

Margaret gasped, "He gave you a grappling hook?! Stan, I'm gonna kill you!" She screamed at the man in the doorway.

Ford stepped in front of Stan protectively, family or not, no one threatened his brother.

Allen was the first to calm down, "Wait, who are you? And where's Dipper? Can someone tell me what's going on?" He demanded.

Dipper sighed, he knew that he was the one who most owed an explanation, "I can explain everything, Dad," He said.

Allen jumped back in fright, "Who the hell are you?" He demanded.

"It's me… Dipper," He said.

Margaret looked outraged, "What?! My son is twelve years old! What's going on here, Stanford?" She demanded, turning on Stanley.

Dipper spoke again, "Mom, it's me. It really is. See?" He said, lifting his bangs to show off his birthmark.

Allen and Margaret gave audible gasps. They couldn't believe it! This had to be their son, but how was it possible?  
Dipper, Mabel, Stan, and Ford looked at each other. How in the name of the Axolotl were they supposed to explain this one.

Finally, Dipper took a deep breath, steeled himself, and began telling his parents the whole story.

He explained who Ford was, who Bill was, Weridmageddon, the portal, and everything they did in Gravity Falls. When he reached the part when he got pulled into the multiverse, his Mom interrupted.

"Wait, so you're saying that you got sucked into outer space by a demon triangle's statue?" She asked.

Dipper nodded, "Yeah, pretty much. I also got his powers," He said.

He lit his hands on fire to demonstrate.

Both of his parents backed up a few steps, "Ahhhhhh!" His mother screamed.

"You freak! You demon!" His father yelled, pointing at his son in terror.

"Mom, Dad-" Dipper tried, shocked at their reactions.

"No! You're not our son, demon! Mabel, go get your stuff. We're leaving, and we aren't coming back!" Margaret hissed.

Mabel looked horrified, "But Mom-" She attempted.

"Go get your things, young lady! You're in enough hot water as it is," Allen growled.

She looked ready to protest again, but Dipper mouthed, Go, At her.

Reluctantly, she nodded and went to pack her stuff.

"Hey, you!" Margaret rounded on Stan, "After everything you've done, you're lucky we aren't pressing charges. My daughter will no longer associate with you," She said.

"You!" She pointed at Ford, who jumped and nearly pulled his blaster on her, "I don't know exactly who you are, but the same message applies to you. Stay away from my daughter," She growled threateningly.

"And you! I don't know who you are, or what you've done to my son, but you will stay away from Mabel! If I hear one word that any of you have contact with her, I will press charges, and you all will go to prison for reckless endangerment! Do I make myself clear?" She snapped.

The three were helpless to do anything but nod. Dipper was hurt, but unsurprised at his parents' reactions to his powers. Though there was no way he was going to cut contact with his twin, their talks would have to be secret.

Dipper wanted to go upstairs to help Mabel pack, but he decided his parents wouldn't take it well.

Instead, he opted to sit on the couch in an awkward silence. Stan was still standing in the doorway, and Ford was still stationed protectively in front of him. Margaret and Allen were standing in front of the stairs.

Dipper sighed, and thought, Well, that went rather poorly.

Now he was just an unnatural freak in his parents' eyes. He was no longer the son of Margaret and Allen Pines. He didn't really regret, or blame his parents for their decision, but he was upset about Mabel. She was happier in Gravity Falls than he had ever seen her, especially when she was with Pacifica. It wasn't fair that she had to be taken away from her friends, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Soon, Mabel walked downstairs, suitcase in hand, and expression gloomy. Dipper wanted to give her a hug, but one look at his father warned him off.

Instead, he gave her a strained smile. She smiled back and mouthed, Don't forget our promise.

Dipper shook his head, Never. He mouthed back.

"Come on, Mabel. Let's go home," Margaret said, pulling Mabel along.

Allen shot the rest of them a threatening look as he followed them.

Before the door swung shut, Mabel called, "Bye Grunkle Stan! Bye Grunkle Ford! Bye Dipper! I love you- Hey!" She cried out in surprise, like Allen had grabbed her arm and jerked her towards the car.

Stan wasn't about to just take that, he yelled, "Pumpkin! I'm-" He began running for the door.

Ford caught his arm, "No! You can't! They're her parents, we can't interfere, or we'll go to prison,"

Stan clearly didn't care, "Who gives a damn? She's in trouble! She's-"

"She's going to be fine, Stanley. They won't hurt her. They're just worried about their daughter. I don't blame them. I'm sure they'll cool down quickly," Ford reassured him.

Stan sighed reluctantly, "Fine. But if we don't hear from her in a week…" He said.

"Don't worry about it, Stan. If we don't hear from her in some way in a week, they'll have to deal with a freak's power," Dipper said.

Ford looked angry, "Don't call yourself a-" He began.

Dipper raised a hand to stop him, "No, they're right. I'm going for a walk," He snapped.

He stormed out of the room. Little did they know, instead of leaving the shack, he went into the lab below the building.

There was a separate exit in the back that he planned to use to smuggle the pieces of the portal out of.

As soon as the elevator door opened, Dipper flew out and into the laboratory. He knew that time was of the essence, and being caught with the portal pieces wasn't an option. He found the pieces wrapped up in a tarp, and thanked God for his Bill issued superhuman strength.

He attempted to pick up the pieces, and found that they were less heavy than they seemed. He knew that he would have to come back for the three journals and his Dimension hopping device later, but now he had to focus on getting the portal to Pacifica's new house.

He assumed it would be a long walk to her place, and steeled himself for a long afternoon. He figured he would be back by dinner at the best, midnight at the worst. He didn't really think through his plan as he began to leave out of the secret exit of the lab. Was it difficult to carry the portal pieces out of the hard to climb escape route? Yes. Did he care? No.

As soon as he hit open air he made a break for the woods. The only thought going through his head was, Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get caught.

Once he got far away enough, his pace slowed down. He leaned against a tree to catch his breath.

Dipper set down the pieces of the portal and wiped the sweat from his brow. He turned to Bill for conversation, _So, how much farther is Pacifica's house?_ He asked.

Bill laughed, **What, so you ran all this way without knowing where you were going?**

 _I didn't ask for the adjectives, wise guy._ He grumbled, _How much further._

 **Just a little further down this path and you'll see it. It's a nice place. Not as nice as the old one, but not bad.** He said.

 _Thanks, Bill._ Dipper said.

 **No problem, Pine Tree.** Bill responded.

Dipper couldn't help but smile. After all these years of Bill's power or Bill himself saving his neck, he didn't really have the right to stay angry at him.

 _By the way, about Weirdmageddon, I forgive you._ Dipper said.

 **How dare you. Stop it with the affection, it's gross.** Bill said without any real conviction.

Dipper rolled his eyes, _Whatever, Dorito._

 **For the last time, I'm not a Dorito! Hey! Are you ignoring me? Pine Tree? PINE TREE!** Bill screamed into his unresponsive mind.

Dipper snickered and picked up the pieces of the portal. As fun as making fun of the dream demon was, he really had to get to work.

It turned out that he was closer to Pacifica's place than he thought, for he reached it in five minutes.

When he got there, he went up to the front door and knocked, praying to the Axolotl that Pacifica would answer it.

Thankfully she did, "Dipper? What are you doing here? You're lucky my parents aren't home, I swear," She said.

"Remember our phone call earlier? I brought my stuff to get set up," He said, holding up the tarp concealing the portal pieces.

Pacifica beckoned him inside, "I'll show you the secret room I found in the basement. I kinda missed my old house, so Mabel told me to explore and find fun things about the new one. You're really lucky my parents don't know it exists," She said.

Dipper nodded gratefully, "Thanks again for helping me out. You're a lifesaver," He said.

She nodded, "Of course. Did your parents…" She trailed off.

Dipper nodded, "Yeah. Make sure to keep in touch with her. She could use a friend right about now," He said.

She blushed at the compliment and said, "Yeah, whatever. If I don't talk to her for a while, she blows up my phone anyway," She said.

When she noticed Dipper staring, she turned even redder, "Well? Don't you have things to do? Stop staring at me!" She snapped.

Dipper chuckled, "Alright, alright. Where's this secret room?" He asked.

Pacifica showed him to the room. It was small, but it would work. It almost seemed like a closet inside another closet.

She made to leave, "Well, the room's all yours. Go nuts," She said.

"Pacifica! Wait!" He called after her.

She turned around, "What?" She demanded.

"Thank you, for everything," He said.

Her expression softened, "Anytime," She said. And before he could talk again, she left the room.

Dipper was left alone once again with the portal supplies and turned to Bill, _So, Bill. How do you build this thing again?_

He could practically hear the triangle's grin, **Let's see…**

Setting up the basic portal wasn't very difficult, and with Bill's direct guidance it was even easier. It took about an hour to put together the shell.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, "Whew! Let's go home, Bill! I'm starving," Dipper said, brightly.

Bill was surprised, **Really? You haven't been hungry for months!**

Huh. I guess this was progress. Dipper grinned and started upstairs. Pacifica wasn't there, but her parents weren't either.

He took that as a win and headed out the front door. After several minutes of walking in silence, Bill spoke up, **So, did you notice, or should I tell you?** He asked.

Dipper was confused, _What do you mean? Is there something wrong with the portal?_ He asked.

 **No- What- You… Really don't know?** He asked.

 _I have no idea what you're talking about,_ He said.

Bill started laughing, **Wow, Pine Tree. You really do have the observation skills of a rock. It's glaringly obvious!** He said.

Dipper was losing his patience, _What is glaringly obvious?_ He demanded.

Bill sighed, **You're really going to make me say it, aren't you? It's very clear that Llama has an attraction to your sister!** He snapped.

Dipper shook his head, _What? That's ridicu- Oh…_ He said as things started to click. Why Pacifica was constantly turning red around Mabel, why she got so flustered at his comments about her being a good friend, oh… Everything suddenly made a lot more sense.

 **Finally, caught up, have we? I personally called it five chapters ago,** Bill said.

Not that a lot of things that Bill said made sense, but that comment was beyond bizarre, _Huh? Chapters?_ He asked.

 **Nevermind. The point is, Llama and Shooting Star are meant to be! I don't usually get this keyed up about stuff like this, but I'm getting invested now!** Bill said eagerly.

Dipper frowned, _But Mabel's not gay, is she?_ He asked.

Bill laughed, **Oh, that's Star's secret to tell. I think I'm gonna let this play out. It'll be fun to watch!** He said.

Dipper was annoyed, _Bill, you asshole!_ He yelled at the demon.

 **Oh! Would you look at that! Looks like we're back at the Shack. I have a feeling Sixer isn't going to be happy with you!** Bill chirped.

Dipper looked up and indeed, there it was. He groaned, _How mad is he?_

**Oh, I'm not going to spoil the surprise! You'll have to find out yourself!**

Dipper growled with frustration, _Fuck you, Bill Cipher!_ He snapped.

Bill laughed, **As fun as that sounds, I'll be taking my leave now. I'd hate for you to leave poor Fordsie waiting.** He said.

Dipper gagged, _Did you just- Ugh! Bill, why?_ He demanded _I'm married!_ But the triangle was already gone.

In the place of Bill's voice was a different, much less amused one, "Where have you been?"

Dipper looked at the door to see none other than a very, very angry looking Ford, "H-Hey! Grunkle Ford. What a surprise," He said with a nervous laugh.

The expression on Ford's face didn't waver, and Dipper inwardly groaned, Oh Shit.


	12. Not a Monster

Oh shit.

He must've said it out loud, because Ford seemed to register the words.

When Ford spoke, he sounded scarily calm, "Oh shit, indeed, son. Would you mind enlightening me as to where exactly you've been?"

Uh oh. He was furious. Dipper groaned, "Look, I'm sorry. I was just going for a walk. I didn't mean to be gone so-"  
Ford interrupted him, "Oh, so you were taking a short walk? Just like you did when you were sucked into the multiverse?" He demanded.

Dipper didn't know how to respond to that, "Ford, I-"

Ford's voice was soft when he responded, "You really scared us, Dipper. You scared me. I can't lose you," He said.

Dipper felt horrible. He would much rather Ford be yelling at him than talking to him with that voice. The last time he heard Ford sound like that was after Weirdmageddon when Stan's memory had been erased. That thought only made him feel worse, "I'm really sorry, Grunkle Ford. I just got caught up in my thoughts, and I didn't notice the time. It won't happen again, I promise," Which it wouldn't. Dipper would be sure to be much more careful when he was sneaking out next time.

It turns out, those were a poor choice of words. Ford's head snapped up, "Thoughts? What kind of thoughts?" He asked.

Dipper's eyes widened and he held his hands up in surrender, "Not bad ones, not bad ones! Just thoughts. I wouldn't do that," He said.

Wanting to inject a bit of humor, he knocked on the side of his head, "Besides, even if I tried, this idiot would annoy me out of it," He said.

**Who're you calling an idiot, Pine Tree? I saved your life! You ungrateful little-**

Dipper chuckled, _I thought you said you were leaving._

Bill suddenly remembered the fact that he was indeed supposed to be dormant, and went silent.

Ford was concerned, "Dipper?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Spaced out for a minute there," Dipper said.

Ford cracked a wry smile, "Bill wasn't happy about being called an idiot?" He asked.

Dipper laughed, "No. He's probably going to give me a hell of a migraine later," He said.

Ford frowned, "He can do that?" He asked.

He nodded, "Oh yeah. Only if I really piss him off though. Can we go inside? I'm hungry," He said.

Ford nodded, "Of course. How does pizza sound for dinner?" He asked.

Dipper grinned, "Sounds good to me. We already almost burned down the kitchen today. Just get it cut into squares," He said.

Ford was confused, "Why?" He asked.

Dipper winced, "Just trust me on this one. Please," He said.

Ford nodded, "Of course," He said, deciding not to question him.

The two headed into the house, Ford still wondering what would happen if his nephew tried to eat triangular food. Did he even want to know? Probably not.

Dipper looked at his uncle inquisitively as he walked inside, "So I'm not in trouble?" He asked.

Ford sighed, "No. Just… Please don't do that again," He said.

As they walked inside, a worried Stanley approached them, "Sixer? Did ya find him? Is he okay?" He asked anxiously.

Stan saw him and sighed with relief, "Oh, thank Moses. Where the hell have ya been? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Without thinking, Dipper said, "You're not 87 yet!"

The two old men stared at him, "What just happened?" Ford asked.

He blinked, "I believe I just accidentally predicted the date of Grunkle Stan's death," He said.

Stan nodded, "Okay. I'm just gonna forget I ever heard that," He said.

Dipper nodded, "That's probably for the best," He agreed.

Ford shuddered. He could still hear the shrill voice, You're not 92 yet! It was scary thinking that Bill was in his nephew's head, even if he had saved his life.

He shook his head, "Anyway! We're ordering a pizza. What do you want on it?" He said, effectively changing the subject.

"Pepperoni?" Dipper suggested.

Stan shrugged and Ford nodded, "Sounds good to me. You two can go watch TV, I'll order it," He said.

Stan took him up on his suggestion, and Dipper decided to join him. It had been a while since they talked.

Ford went into the kitchen to order the pizza.

Dipper sat on the floor, and Stan sat in his chair. He turned on the TV, but neither of them were really paying attention.

After a while, Stan broke the silence, "So… You're married?" He asked.

Dipper wondered how the hell he knew that and looked down to see the ring on his finger, "Oh. I got married about four years ago. Her name was Kira," He said. He couldn't tell him that she was still alive. It would blow his cover.

"What happened?" Stan asked, sounding uncharacteristically sympathetic.

Dipper sighed and told him the story.

To his shock, when he was finished, he wasn't greeted with the usual, I'm so sorry, or I also lost (Insert Name of Friend or Family Member). Instead, his Grunkle gave him a grin, "Well? Tell me about her! I wanna know everything," He said.

Dipper felt a smile grow on his face and he started talking. Soon he was telling Stan every little thing he could remember about Kira. The way her hair glowed in the sunlight, the little dimple in her cheek when she smiled, her beautiful laugh, her somehow simultaneously soft and sharp red eyes. He told him how she had been so bright and sunny, how her very presence used to brighten his day, how they used to fight side by side, making the number of assailants they slew a competition, and it was clear to Stan that he was head over heels.

He felt terrible that the kid had to lose someone so close to him. It wasn't fair that his nephew had to go through so much suffering at such a young age. He felt his eyes burning and was shocked to discover, though he would never admit it, tears blurring his vision. He scrubbed at his eyes, trying to hide the evidence of weakness before Dipper noticed.

Dipper noticed, "Grunkle Stan? Are you crying?" He asked, taken aback.

"What? No! I've just got some dust in my eyes, that's all," He said.

Dipper wanted to question him further, but just then, he heard the doorbell ring. He leaped up like an excited child and rushed to get the pizza.

He greeted the pizza guy and took the food from him. While he brought the pie to the kitchen, Ford paid the man and thanked him.

Dipper felt like he hadn't eaten in weeks as he dug into the pizza. Ever since he learned Kira was alive, it was like a fire had been relit that he thought he lost long ago.

Stan made a comment on his hunger, and he said, "Well, I haven't eaten since lunch. I'm hungry,"

Stan gave him a look of disbelief, "This coming from the kid who said, 'I'm fine, I ate last week?" He asked.

Dipper shrugged, "I don't know, I'm just hungry, man," He said, "I don't really feel like overthinking it," He said through a mouthful of pizza.

Stan feigned a look of shock, "Who are you and what have you done with Dipper?" He asked.

Dipper rolled his eyes, "It's been ten years, Stan, I'm not twelve anymore. Not to mention traveling the multiverse really teaches you a lesson about obsessing over the little things. I've long figured out that it's not worth it," He said.

Ford nodded, "Yes, that is very true," He agreed.

The two shared a glance, and silently bonded over their shared pain. Stan was awkward, and still secretly guilty about his role in their suffering, Why did I have to ruin both of my nerds' lives?" He asked himself.

Dipper changed the subject, "So, I understand that summer is pretty much over now," He said.

Ford nodded, "Yes, it is," He said.

Dipper nodded, "I should probably start spending some time on legal issues. I need to get an ID, driver's license, and I need to do something about college. The sooner I do so, the sooner I can be out of your guys' hair," He said.

Stan frowned, "Kid, you can stay here as long as you want. We're not gonna kick you out. You know that, right?" He asked.

He nodded, "Yes, of course, I do. I just want to get my own place at some point. I'd hate to impose any more than I already have," He said.

"You're not imposing, Dipper. Stanley's right, you can stay with us as long as you like," Ford said.

Dipper smiled, "Thank you, guys. For everything," He said.

Stan snorted, "Yeah, well, I'm not my Pa, kid. I'm not gonna let another innocent kid get thrown out on the streets for no reason," He said.

Ford looked extremely guilty at this, which Stan took note of, "For the last time, it wasn't your fault, poindexter," He said, "We were just kids, Ford. Stupid little morons,"

Ford made a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a choked sob, "We were pretty stupid," He said.

Dipper grinned, "Well, at least finally got over yourselves and admitted you love each other already. Mabel was going nuts," He joked.

Both twins laughed at this.

Dipper frowned, "Speaking of, have either of you heard from her?" He asked.

Both twins' expressions fell and they shook their heads.

He looked down, "I'm worried about her. I know Mom and Dad wouldn't hurt her, but I just can't shake the thought that-" His voice broke.

Ford put his hand on his shoulder, "It wasn't your fault, Dipper. Mabel will be fine," He said.

Stan nodded confidently, "Your parents wouldn't hurt their own kid. They know they'd have me and Ford to deal with if they did," He said.

Ford immediately corrected him, "Ford and me, Stanley. Grammar," He said.

Stan rolled his eyes, "Shut up, nerd," He said.

Dipper raised an eyebrow, "Grunkle Ford, last time you corrected Stan's grammar, the world almost ended," He reminded him.

Ford seemed to only just remember this, "Oh! I apologize," He said.

Stan waved him off, "It's fine. Just don't do it on the Stan 'O War. I might push you in," He threatened.

Dipper was confused, "The Stan 'O War?" He asked.

Ford's eyes widened, and Stan looked like he had just been caught in the middle of a heist.

Both decided that lying to him was a bad idea. Ford sighed and explained, "Before all of this happened, I asked Stanley if he wanted to sail around the world and hunt anomalies. But, we're not going to leave until you get settled in… This dimension," He said.

Dipper felt terrible, "Great. First I'm the reason Mabel can't see you two again, and now I'm keeping you two from living out your childhood dream," He groaned.

Stan rolled his eyes, "Stop being so dramatic, kid. Me and Ford," He said, looking pointedly at his brother, who said nothing, "Will go sailing eventually. You're more important than a boat. And do you really think we're gonna let Mabel grow up alone?" He asked.

He sighed, "You're right, I know. I just wish Mom and Dad let us explain a bit more. I probably shouldn't have introduced the whole demon thing until later. I can't imagine it's easy to swallow the fact that your son's a monster," He chuckled sardonically.

Ford refused to let his nephew say that about himself, "Hey!" He pounded a fist on the table, "Don't say that. Don't you dare!" He snapped.

Stan was equally infuriated, "You're not a monster, kid," He said.

Dipper snorted, "Oh yeah? What is Bill then, huh? A fairy princess?" He demanded.

"You're not Bill!" Stan shouted.

Dipper laughed harshly, "Oh, you're right, Stan. I'm worse! You have no idea what I've been through! What I did," He said.

"Mason-" Ford began.

"Don't call me that!" Dipper snapped, right hand moving to grab his right.

Before anyone could say anything else, Dipper stormed up to the attic.

He slammed the door, and threw himself onto his bed. Giving Mabel's side of the room a bitter glance before facing the wall.

A hundred thoughts were tumbling around in his head, _Freak, Monster, Demon, Dangerous, Murderer, Insane, Mom and Dad were right to keep you away from Mabel, You'll never be good enough, You'll never save her._

Bill was concerned. It had been years since Dipper's self-loathing was this bad. And just when he had finally begun to heal!

 **Hey, Pine Tree?** Bill asked tentatively.

 _Go away, Bill. I'm not in the mood._ Dipper snapped back moodily.

 **But Pine Tree-** Bill tried.

 _No! Get out of my head!_ He interrupted.

 **Dipper! Can you listen to me for ten seconds?** Bill demanded.

 _First name, that only ever happened in serious situations, Alright…_ Dipper said.

 **I'm sorry, Pine Tree.** He said.

It took a few seconds for Dipper to process this, _What did you just say?_

 **I said I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry for ruining your stupid life!** The demon snapped.

 _I… Didn't know you were capable of feeling remorse._ Dipper finally replied.

 **Yeah, it's a surprise to both of us, kid, believe me**. Bill said.

 _I accept your apology. And… I forgive you._ Dipper said.

 **You know, despite what happened, I never hated you. Actually, I've always liked you**. He admitted.

 _Then, why? Why did you try to end the world? Why did you want the universe?_ Dipper demanded.

Bill laughed, **I never wanted the universe, Dipper. If I did, I would already have it. Think about it. I'm a being of pure energy with no weaknesses. I can trick anyone into making a deal with me. I see all, know all, the whole omnipotent demon shebang. I'm certainly not dense enough to forget about a whole extra finger. I knew that it was Stanley that I made a deal with. The universe wasn't why I started the apocalypse, kid.**

 _Then what did you want?_ Dipper asked, absolutely bewildered.

 **It's simple, Pine Tree. I knew Weirdmageddon was going to fail from the beginning. I've been in constant agony for over a billion years, I couldn't take it anymore. It was… What do you call it again? Oh, right, suicide.** Bill explained.

Dipper's jaw dropped, _But- What- Why-_ He stuttered, _Why did you fuse with me, then?_ He asked.

**Because that being in that statue was even worse than the Mindscape. At least there I had a shred of freedom. I fused with the nearest living form to escape. I didn't know you punching that insipid rock would drag us both to the Nightmare Realm. I only know that fusing with a human is considered a foolish move to demons like myself. Basically, you get a manageable portion of my power, and I die when you die if I can't find another vessel. It's not a win-win scenario for most demons. It was perfect for me, though. He explained further.**

Dipper was still bewildered, _But, why did you save my life in the Nightmare Realm if you wanted to die?_ He asked.

Bill laughed mirthlessly, **That's the thing, Pine Tree. I don't know. Maybe I still have a sense of self-preservation left. Maybe I didn't want an innocent kid to die because of me. Maybe because you were the first friend I've had in thirty years, and some Axolotl forsaken part of me wants to keep you alive. I have no idea.**

 _Why are you being so honest?_ Dipper asked, feeling a combination of pity and bewilderment.

 **Don't know. I think I might be feeling bad for you. I told you your emotional pain was corrupting me. Usually, I can push it down!** He said, frustrated.

 _That's… Not remotely healthy. Bill, are you okay?_ He asked.

Bill sighed, **Pine Tree. I stick forks in my arms, rip deer's teeth right out of their mouths, and I started an Armageddon just so I could taste the sweet release of death. Do you think I'm okay?** He demanded.

 _Okay, okay, stupid question. Wait… You called me a friend before. Are we friends?_ He asked.

Bill shrugged or did the telepathic equivalent of it, **If you're stupid enough to actually want a demon as a friend, then sure. Why not?**

Dipper realized something, _Oh, shit! I forgot! I'm sorry I called you a monster. It was uncalled for._ He apologized.

Bill laughed, **You weren't wrong, kid. And for the record, how dare you claim to be worse than me? I take great pride in being the worst! You can't hold a candle to what I've done, Pine Tree. So don't even try,** He ordered.

Dipper nodded, _We're not monsters. After all, what makes a monster a monster is their static character. They never change, they never get better. We can change, ergo, not monsters,_ He said.

Bill was thoughtful, **Huh. I never thought of it like that. Wow! Your sappiness is finally good for something!** He exclaimed.

Dipper was offended, _Sappiness? I am not a sap!_ He snapped.

 **Suuuuuuuure. Tell that to your wife!** He said.

 _Bill, you're the worst! I take back everything!_ He snapped.

 **No, you don't.** Bill called his bluff.

 _Fine, I don't. Friends?_ Dipper asked.

 **Friends, you insufferable sap.** He said.

 _Gee thanks, Bill._ Dipper thought sarcastically.

 **You're welcome!** He said brightly.

He rolled his eyes, _Okay, I'm going to try to get some sleep._ He said.

 **But it's not even late-** He began.

 _Get lost._ He thought bluntly.

Bill was deeply offended, **Oh, I see how it is. Fine, I'll leave. If you don't want me here, then I guess I'll-**

 _Oh my God. Stop whining and let me sleep, please._ Dipper begged.

Bill finally left, and Dipper flopped down on his bed.

Despite the fact that it wasn't very late, and he really should be sneaking out to work on the portal, he closed his eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.


	13. Broken Birthdays and Half Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: Mentioned Drug Abuse, Mentioned Past Suicidal Behavior, Much Lighter Chapter than Usual!

Dipper awoke to Bill being his usual dumbass self, **PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE TREE!**

He groaned and put his pillow over his head, _What the hell, Bill? Go back to sleep!_ He snapped.

 **The sky's awake, so I'm awake, so we have to play!** He insisted.

 _Showing you Frozen was a mistake, wasn't it?_ He asked.

 ** _How dare you! Frozen is a cinematic masterpiece! Besides, you can't reference it, because it doesn't even exist yet in this dimension!_ **He pointed out.

 _Oh, I suppose you're right. It's still 2012 here, He thought, Anyway, would you care to enlighten me as to why you woke me up this early?_ He asked wearily.

 **Okay, remember what I said about Llama and Shooting Star?** He asked.

He was confused, _Uh, yeah. Why?_ He asked.

 **Well, it's finally time we get them together! Your sister is the most relentless matchmaker I've met in my life, which is saying something since I've been alive since before the dawn of time. It's time to give her a taste of her own medicine.** He said.

Dipper was unsure, _But isn't that kind of a breach of her privacy? Not to mention the fact that we don't even know if Mabel is-_

 **Can you just trust me for once? Those two would take forever to get together on their own. We're just going to give them a little nudge.** Bill wheedled.

Dipper thought about it for a second. On one hand, matchmaking tended to get pretty invasive. On the other hand, Bill did have a point about how frustrating the two were. Now that Dipper knew about their chemistry, he really wanted to get them together.

He sighed, _Fine, I trust you. Don't make me regret this, Bill._ He said.

 **Wouldn't dream of it, Pine Tree! Now let's go! To Llama's house!** He declared.

Dipper rolled his eyes and stood up, running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to brush it. He threw on some clothes, his pine tree hat, and his leather jacket.

He thought for a second before leaving a note, _Went for a walk. Don't panic. I'll be back in a few hours._ He didn't want Stan and Ford to worry about him.

Dipper walked downstairs and carefully snuck out of the front door. As soon as he was out of the house, he began walking to Pacifica's house.

Bill, bored, decided to make conversation, **Happy Birthday, by the way, Pine Tree.** He said.

Dipper's eyes widened. It was Mabel and his birthday today! He completely forgot. He was officially twenty-three years old today, and his sister was officially a teenager. His gut twisted when he remembered how excited she was to celebrate in Gravity Falls. How scared she was to grow up, but how excited she was for them to grow up together.

He felt terrible that she couldn't have either because of him.

He laughed mirthlessly, _Some birthday,_ He said.

 **We've had worse.** Bill said, mentally shrugging.

He had a point, _At least we're not spending this one in a jail cell._ Dipper said.

 **Or getting high in a shady bar.** Bill added.

Dipper shrugged, _Hey, that one wasn't so bad. At least my hallucinations had the decency to wish me a happy birthday._ He said.

Bill laughed, **Yeah, the phantom scorpions were extremely polite.** He said sarcastically.

The two laughed as Dipper walked the path to Pacifica's house.

 _My life is pretty messed up, isn't it?_ Dipper asked.

Bill shrugged metaphorically, **No more than mine.**

Dipper raised an imaginary glass, "Here's to being fucked up!" He said.

Bill laughed, **Cheers, you crazy sap.** He said.

Dipper chuckled at the demon's antics, and continued down the path, the two falling into a comfortable silence.

Throughout the last few years, Bill had been his only companion. The two really did strike up a friendship in that time. I guess when your souls are bonded together, you kind of have to get along.

After about ten minutes of silently trekking through the woods, he reached the front yard of Pacifica Northwest's place.

He walked up to the front door and knocked, only realizing after he did so that he had no idea what he would say if her parents opened the door.

Luckily, he didn't need to think of anything, because Pacifica answered the door, "Dipper? It's like five in the morning. Did you come to work on your project?" She asked, inviting him in.

Her parents must not have been home, since she didn't bother to keep her voice down.

Dipper smiled, "Hey. I'm sorry I woke you up. I actually came to talk to you about something," He said, stepping inside.

She was confused, "What could you possibly want to talk about at five AM?" She asked, "You're lucky my parents are on a business trip," She said.

She walked over to the other side of the room as if she just thought of something, "Here," She said, handing over a key, "It's the spare key. You can use it whenever you need to work on your thing," She said.

He took the key, "Thank you. Really, for everything. I owe you a great debt," He said.

She shook her head, "It's not a big deal. I just gave it to you so you could get in here more often. The faster you get your work done, the faster you get out of my hair," She said.

He smiled, then remembered what he had come to talk about, "Can we go sit in the kitchen? I can make coffee," He said.

Pacifica smiled, "Sure. Then you can tell me whatever was important enough to wake up at the crack of dawn for," She said, leading him into the kitchen.

She sat at the table, and Dipper rummaged through the cupboards until he found some coffee grounds. He found the pot on the counter and started making the caffeinated beverage.

Once the coffee was brewing, he turned around and leaned against the counter, "I have something to ask you, and I want you to be straight with me," He said, barely containing a laugh as he realized the irony of these words.

Pacifica was confused, "Okay?" She asked.

He sighed, deciding to cut to the chase, "Are you, or are you not in love with my sister?" He asked.

Her reaction was immediate, "Wh-What? No! Mabel? I-I'm not a l-lesbian! You're crazy!" She stammered, her entire face red as a tomato.

That reaction answered his question pretty well. He raised an eyebrow, "Pacifica Northwest, you're a terrible liar," He said.

"No- Oh, what does it matter anyways? It's not like she likes me," She said sadly.

"Oh? Did she say that, or are you just assuming?" He asked.

She was angry, "Have you seen how obsessed she is with boys? There's no way she could be- be-" She broke off.

"You don't know that. She could be bisexual, or pansexual," Dipper pointed out.

Pacifica threw up her hands in frustration, "Why are you doing this?" She demanded.

Dipper looked at her with a serious expression, "I'm doing this because I saw something between you two. You two have undeniable chemistry, and if you just talk to her, you might be surprised," He said.

She looked uncharacteristically anxious, "But what if she-" She began.

He cut her off with a laugh, "What? Hates you? Pacifica, we're talking about Mabel here. No matter what happens, she certainly won't hate you. I've seen the way she looks at you. If you want my opinion, I'd say she likes you," He said.

She looked shocked, "Are you serious?" She asked.

"Well, I'm sure as hell not joking! Now go talk to her. It's her birthday, by the way, she'll be disappointed if she doesn't get a call from you," He said, pointing outside the room.

After a second of hesitation, she went and got her phone. Dipper was surprised to see her bring it back into the kitchen, but shrugged it off, figuring she wanted him there for moral support.

He poured himself a mug of piping hot coffee, trying to be as quiet as he could.

Pacifica dialed Mabel's number, and the two waited anxiously to see if she'd pick up.

The phone rang once, twice, three times, before she picked up.

"Hello?" Mabel's voice came through the phone, and Dipper felt so relieved to hear her again.

Pacifica's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing her, "Hey. It's me. I'm just calling to wish you a happy birthday, or whatever," She said, putting on her facade of indifference.

A sleepy giggle came from the phone, "You woke up at 5:00 Am just to say Happy Birthday? That's cute," She said.

Pacifica turned bright red, and Dipper gave her an encouraging thumbs-up, "I- uh- I have something to tell you," She said.

 **Yes, yes. Come on…** Bill said, clearly getting into the spirit of matchmaking.

"What's up?" Mabel asked, her voice more awake and hopeful.

"I- I-" She stuttered, looking at Dipper, who nodded at her.

 **Say it! Say it!** Bill said, on the edge of his seat now.

"Um- Dipper's here!" She shrieked, chickening out.

 **NO!** Bill screamed, his frustration bubbling over at the near confession.

Dipper wanted to be frustrated too, but Pacifica shoved the phone into his hands before he could say anything. The look on her face made him decide to just drop it for the moment.

Mabel squealed, and Dipper held the phone away from his ear, "DIPPER!"

He chuckled, "Hey Mabel. Happy birthday," He said.

Pine Tree! What are you doing? Bill demanded, If llama doesn't want to say it, then do it for her. I can't take it anymore! He snapped.

Dipper was firm, Sorry Bill. They have to figure this out on their own. I've done all I can. He said.

"I'm so glad we got to talk on our birthday! Why are you at Pacifica's house?" She asked, suddenly remembering where he must be.

"Oh! I was taking an early morning walk when I ran into Pacifica. She invited me inside for coffee, and I couldn't refuse," He said.

Pacifica gave him a mouthed, Thank you. Whereas Bill gave him a groan of frustration.

She laughed, "Of course you couldn't, you Caffeine-a-holic!" She teased.

He snorted, "You're one to talk, sugar addict,"

The two siblings laughed for a minute, almost forgetting their separation.

"Happy birthday. I'm sorry we can't celebrate it together," Dipper said.

She was unperturbed, "It's okay, Dip-Dop! Next year we'll throw a twice as awesome party to make up for it!" She said brightly.

He chuckled, "Absolutely. How are you doing? Are Mom and Dad still angry?" He asked.

"Oh, they're pretty angry. But I'm fine, don't worry. Are you okay? How are Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford? Is Waddles okay?" She asked.

"Everyone's fine, Mabel. I'll bring Waddles when I move to Piedmont, you can come visit him whenever you want. And I don't know what Stan and Ford are planning, but they're not going to let you grow up alone," He said.

"Promise?" She asked.

Dipper nodded with absolute confidence, "I promise," He said.

He heard a faint voice on the other line, "That's Mom and Dad! I've got to go. Call me soon!" She said in a much quieter, rushed, tone.

"Good-" He began.

Mabel hung up before he could finish, "Bye Bro-Bro!" She said.

Dipper turned off Pacifica's phone and handed it to her.

She was shamefaced, "I couldn't do it. I- I just panicked," She said.

Dipper waved off her guilt, "Don't worry about it. You should probably tell her that stuff in person anyway," He said.

She frowned, "How? She's not allowed to come here anymore.

He shrugged, "You're a Northwest, get creative. As for me, I'm going to go work on my means of seeing my beloved again," He said.

Before Pacifica could get a word in edgewise, Dipper headed to the room where the portal resided.

He worked for about two hours before he decided to go home. It was about eight in the morning, and his Grunkles would be just waking up, if not worrying about where he was.

He walked upstairs and waved goodbye to Pacifica before leaving the house.

 **Well, that was a bust.** Bill said gloomily.

Dipper laughed, _You've got to have patience. Those two will get together. Just give them time, and they'll work it out._ He said.

 **Whatever you say, Pine Tree.** He replied before disappearing back into the oblivion of his subconscious.

The walk home was swift and silent, and it took Dipper only ten minutes to reach the front of the shack. He decided to sneak around the back and climb back into the window of his bedroom.

Once he reached the back of the shack, he used his demon strength and climbing skills to climb to the roof.

When he got there, he began to open the window into the attic. Just as he was about to climb through, a face startled him off balance.

It was Grunkle Ford, who looked not angry, but slightly amused. Dipper lost his balance, but Ford caught him by his shirt before he could fall.

His grunkle hauled him into his room, and asked, "What were you doing? You didn't need to climb through the window," With a slight laugh.

Dipper dusted himself off and tried to salvage his dignity, "I don't know. I thought you guys would still be mad about yesterday," He said.

Ford sighed, "We're not upset with you, Dipper. We were- are- just worried, son," He said.

He was guilty, "I'm sorry about that. I was just overwhelmed, that's all. It's not easy, having a demon living in your head," he said.

Ford laughed mirthlessly, "Believe me, I know," He said.

Dipper looked at him seriously, "You know, he's not that bad. He can actually be pretty nice when he wants to be," He said.

 **Lies. Lies and slander.** Bill said, but there was no conviction in his voice.

He smiled slightly, "I mean, if it weren't for him being an annoying little prick, I probably would've died of a drug overdose in an underground bar three years ago," He said.

Ford's expression was pained at the brutal honesty of those words, "And for that I'm grateful, but…" He trailed off.

Dipper knew what he meant. Possession, Insanity, Torture, Weirdmageddon. Those words were all hidden in the unsaid message, "I know he's done some pretty messed up shit. I have too. But he really is trying to make up for it. He even apologized the other day," He said.

Stanford could no longer leave the words unsaid, "But what if he's using you? What if he's trying to get you to trust him, just so you make a deal with him? What if he tries to-" He broke off.

Dipper shook his head, "He wouldn't do that," He said.

"How do you know that?" He demanded.

He sighed, "Ford, do you know what Weirdmageddon was?" He asked.

He didn't wait for an answer to the question, "It was Bill's attempted suicide. He had lived over a billion years in constant emotional agony, so he thought death was his only way out. But he failed. He fused with me, and well… You know the rest. The point is, he won't do it again. With him spending ten years swapping emotional pain with me, he found a friend, or at least I did. I hope that after everything we've been through, he wouldn't try to kill himself again," Dipper explained.

Ford was speechless, his mouth was hanging open at his words.

 **Could you tell Fordsie to shut his mouth? He looks like a fish.** Bill snickered.

Dipper snorted, "Bill- Uh- He told you to shut your mouth because you look like a fish," He blurted.

Ford stared at him for a moment before bursting out laughing. Dipper stared at him before chuckling a bit himself, "Now you know what I've had to deal with for the past ten years," He said.

Ford looked at him, "Is he always- Oh, who am I kidding. Of course, he's always been like this. I should know him well enough by now," He said.

The two nerds smiled at each other, and the heavy mood was lifted.

Dipper shrugged, "Hey, at least the Dorito isn't giving me a migraine," He said.

I am not a- You know what, Pine Tree? You want a headache so bad, I'll give you one! He snapped.

Dipper immediately felt an agonizing pain behind his right eye that spread throughout the rest of his skull. He cried out and bent over, clapping a hand to his eye.

Ford's concerned cries were drowned out by the ringing in his ears.

"Gah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! You're not a Dorito!" Dipper cried, "Just stop!"

 **Hmph. I hope that taught you a lesson, kid.** Bill conceded.

The headache faded away and left Dipper to massage his still aching skull, "Ow. Bill, you asshole," He complained.

 **Serves you right for disrespecting me.** He said.

Ford was worried, "Are you alright, Dipper?" He asked.

"Peachy," He said, straightening up, "As you can see, headache,"

Ford winced in sympathy, "Ouch. He used to do that to me too," He said.

"Oh, that explains where all of the blood came from!" Dipper said.

He nodded, "Indeed,"

The two sat in an awkward silence before Dipper spoke up, "Anyways, I've got a lot to do today. I've got to get a real identity in this dimension," He said.

Ford nodded and began to leave the room, "I'll get Stan to make breakfast. Come down whenever you're ready," He said.

Dipper nodded and turned away from his Grunkle, "Punch Bill for me, please," He called.

He chuckled, "Will do," Assuming that was the last of what Ford was going to say, he turned around.

To his surprise, Ford wasn't done, "And, Dipper?" He asked.

He turned around, "Yeah?"  
"Make sure to thank him for me too," Ford said.

Dipper smiled, "Of course," He said.

Ford left the room, and he turned in to talk to Bill. He decided to meditate for a quick minute, so he could see Bill when he talked to him.

He surprisingly fell into his trance relatively easily, he had done it so many times it was practically second nature. He saw that he was in the gray forest of the mindscape. Bill was standing with his back to him, _Hey, Bill?_ He called.

 **What are you doing here? You miss me already?** Bill asked.

Dipper calmly walked up to the demon and punched him in his triangular face.

Bill was more startled and annoyed than wounded, _What the hell was that for?!_ He demanded.

Dipper shrugged, **A favor** , He said.

Bill grumbled and turned away from his host.

He smirked and added, _He told me to thank you as well._ He said.

Bill turned around abruptly and stared at him, **What- He- What?** He managed.

But Dipper was already leaving. He winked at Bill, _You can read my mind. See for yourself._ He said, before fading back into the world of consciousness.

Dipper snapped back into awareness and looked at the clock, he had only been out for about five minutes. He chuckled softly to himself, he would have to tell Ford that he granted his requests later.

For now, he stared out the window as the angry voice of Bill came flooding back into his conscious mind, **PiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiNE TREE**

 _Here we go…_ He thought as he prepared himself for the wrath of Bill.


	14. Blind Trust, Timeskip, and Imminent Doom

Six months passed since that fateful birthday. In those six months, Dipper got an ID, Driver's License, Social Security Number, and a cell phone. He worked on the portal tirelessly, sneaking out every night he was able to work on it. During these six months he also tried setting Mabel and Pacifica up to no avail. At this point in time, March 3rd, 2013, Dipper's reconstruction of the portal is finally complete…

"Well, Bill," He said aloud, "We did it. We finally rebuilt the portal,"

 **Yup! Now all that's left to do is to turn it on, and wait.** Bill said eagerly.

Dipper could hardly believe it. Six months. Six months of tireless work, and he finally did it. Sure, it could hardly compare to Stan's 30 years, but he still understood how he must've felt that day. He felt another pang of guilt for not trusting him.

 **Run me by the plan again?** Bill asked.

Dipper knew that Bill knew full well what the plan was, but he was trying to distract him from his guilt and nerves, and for that Dipper was grateful, "After I turn it on, I'm going to tell Pacifica what's going on. I'll tell her not to press the button, no matter what. When the portal opens, I'll go through. I'll use my dimensional traveler to get to wherever she is, which you can tell me. Pacifica will open the portal in exactly two days time, and I'll hopefully come back through with Kira," He recited.

 **Sounds like a plan! Right now, I think she's in dimension 63. It could change by tomorrow, though.** He said.

"Tomorrow," He said dazedly, "I can't believe it. 3 years, six months, 23 days, and I'm finally going to see her again. Thank you, Bill. I couldn't have done this without you," He said.

 **Alright, alright, don't get all sentimental on me. Now c'mon! Pull the lever, and let's end this,** He said.

Dipper nodded and closed his hand over the lever, pulling it down. Instantly, a timer popped up on the screen. 24 hours and counting. It was currently midnight, so at exactly midnight tomorrow, the portal would be up and running.

He grinned, "Let's do this,"

Dipper headed up the stairs for the final time, knowing the next time he ascended them, he would be with the love of his wife.

He found Pacifica asleep on the couch. Since he so often came in the middle of the night to work on the portal, she made it a habit to sleep downstairs where she could easily get to him if something went wrong. Most likely done for Mabel's sake, but it was sweet nonetheless.

He felt bad having to wake her, but he didn't have a choice. If there was to guard the portal and make sure no one pressed the button, or even if there was no one to operate from the other side when Dipper was in the multiverse, the whole 6-month long operation would be for naught.

He shook her awake, "Pacifica? We need to talk," He said.

She stirred and blinked groggily, "Dipper?" She asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes, "What's going on?"

He smiled, "Sorry I had to wake you, but, I'm finally finished building my machine," He said.

She broke into a smile, "You are? That's great, now you can finally get out of my house," She said. She was teasing with the last part. She couldn't bring herself to mind Dipper being in her house, knowing how much this whole thing meant to him.

Dipper felt himself tear up a bit, but held back, "Yeah, it is great," He said emotionally.

He took a deep, composing breath and continued, "I need you to do something really, really important to me. It may seem crazy, but you have to trust me. Do you trust me?" He asked.

She nodded, "Yes," she said.

He wasn't completely satisfied, "Do you really trust me? Enough to go against what everyone, even your own sense of logic is telling you to do?" He asked.

She frowned, "You're freaking me out, Dipper. What do you want me to do?" She asked.

He sighed, "I need to show you something first," He said, "You have to see what I've been working on,"

He led her to the portal room and opened the door, showing her the contents of it for the first time.

She gasped, "Whoa," She said.

He knew it must've looked very impressive to someone who's never seen it before, "It's a transuniversal polydimensional meta vortex. Or, a simpler term for it would be a portal," He said.

She nodded, unsurprised by what he was saying, "Yeah, I figured it was going to be something like that. But I didn't think you'd actually be stupid enough to build it! Why are you trying to leave this dimension? It's not like I care or anything, but Mabel would be devastated if you left and didn't come back," She pointed out accusingly.

He shook his head quickly, "I'm not going back forever. This is a rescue mission. The love of my life, Kira, she- She's still in there. I have to get her back," He said.

Her eyes widened, "Oh, that makes a lot more sense. But what do you need me for?" She asked.

Dipper sighed, "Pacifica, do you see the timer? The portal's going to open in a little under twenty-four hours now. The only thing that can stop it is pressing that big red button. I know this is a lot to ask, but I need you to make sure that no one touches that button. Now matter what you see, no matter what you hear, no matter what anyone says, even Mabel, you cannot press the button. Please. Promise me you'll guard this portal with your life," He begged, his eyes betraying his desperation.

Pacifica couldn't say no to the look on his face, she couldn't deny him the chance to see his soulmate again, so she nodded, "I will," She said.

The relief in his voice was palpable, "Thank you, Pacifica. For everything. I owe you my life," He said.

She shook her head, "It's fine, really," She said.

He smiled at her, "I also need you to do one other thing," He said. When she didn't protest, he went on, "I'm going to be in that portal for exactly two days. You need to open it at exactly midnight on Tuesday, March 6th. Keep it open for five minutes. If I don't come through after that, which is a highly unlikely outcome," He reassured her after seeing the look on her face, "Shut it down. If anything but me comes through, shut it down. When I get back, ask me, 'There are over 600 species of what tree?' The correct answer is oak tree, but I'm going to incorrectly answer Pine Tree. If I answer anything other than that, shoot the abomination in the face. I'll give you a blaster in case something goes wrong. Nothing will, but it's simply a precaution. Do you understand?" He asked.

She nodded slowly, "Make sure no one presses the button, open it at midnight on Tuesday, ask the security question, blast anything that isn't you," She said.

Dipper clapped his hands, "Perfect. I've got to go home now. Don't let anyone press the button," He said sternly.

She held her hands up in surrender, "I won't, I won't," She promised.

He nodded, "Good. See you tomorrow, Pacifica," He said, walking away.

"Dipper, wait!" Pacifica cried after him.

He turned around to face her.

"Be careful, okay? If you die, Mabel will be devastated. I'll kill you if you do that to her," She said threateningly.

He held up his own hands in surrender, mimicking Pacifica's previous gesture. The way she cared for his sister still warmed his heart, "I promise I won't do anything rash," He said.

She nodded, "Good. Now get out of here before my parents see you," She said.

He smiled and headed out the door, "Thanks for everything!" He called back.

"You'd better be!" He heard the muffled response as he left the Northwest Cabin.

Dipper snickered as he walked down the path to the Shack. His feet leaving footprints in the snow. He was still over the moon about the portal completion. God, he was so close now. Only two days. Two days left until he could see her again.

Still in a daze, he made his way back to his home. He had walked the path so many times in the dark that he could probably walk it in his sleep.

As soon as he got to the back of the shack, he climbed up to his window, reminded of the first time he did so six months ago. He chuckled a bit at his and Bill's attempt to matchmake Mabel and Pacifica.

It hadn't failed per se, the two had gotten much closer over the next six months, but they weren't together yet. Much to Bill's chagrin, Dipper refused to meddle any more in his sister's love life.

Dipper had faith that the two would get together eventually. No one could stay in the stubborn and oblivious mutual crushes for very long. Something had to give, and he knew that something was coming soon.

As he silently snuck into his attic bedroom, he checked the time. It was nearly four in the morning. He set his alarm for nine. Considering how late he often stayed out, five hours of sleep was a blessing.

He crashed on his mattress and fell asleep instantly, his dreams full of his soulmate, who he would soon see again.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Dipper groaned and turned off his alarm, sitting up in bed. He rubbed his eyes and tried to remember why he was so tired.

When he did, all of his fatigue disappeared and he smiled broadly. He hastily got dressed and froze in place. He realized that he needed to write everyone a note in case something went wrong and he didn't make it back from the portal. Despite the fact that it put a damper on his mood, he knew he owed it to his family to give them a proper worst-case scenario goodbye.

Dipper knew that none of his family would take it well if he didn't come back, especially after what happened to Ford, so he would do anything to get back in one piece. Well, almost anything. Selfish as it may be, he refused to leave Kira behind again.

He found a pen and a pad of paper and pondered what to write.

After ten minutes of frustrated thinking and convoluted writing, he managed to get something coherent down,

_Dear, Mabel, Stanley, Stanford, Pines and Pacifica Northwest,_

_If you are reading this, then I will already be long gone. I'm so sorry for any pain I caused you by taking away your Dipper and disappearing. I assure you that if the situation where you have to read this letter arises, then my plan has gone drastically and unexpectedly wrong. I didn't want it to be like this. I didn't want it to end like this._

_Mabel,_

_Where do I begin? God, you were the best sister I could ever ask for. Even when I, a wretched man, took away your twin, you still had the heart to not only forgive me, but to accept me as your brother. I cannot thank you enough for that. And no, none of this was your fault. I made the full and conscious decision to reenter the multiverse for the sake of my soulmate. I am ready to face the consequences if need be. I don't want you feeling guilty on behalf of my mistakes. Thank you so much for everything, and I'm sorry you didn't get the happy ending you deserve. I love you so much._

_Stanley,_

_Hey, Grunkle Stan. Thank you for everything you've done for me throughout the years. From when I was twelve, to now, you've saved my life and made it better countless times. I will be the first to say that getting sucked into the Nightmare Realm was the best thing that ever happened to me. After all, what's three years of agony when compared to seven years of paradise? You know who Kira is, and you know why I had to do whatever it took to save her. You, perhaps, more than anyone else. I know this situation is all too familiar to you, and I apologize for making you go through this again. Remember that none of this is, or ever was, your fault. I don't blame you for anything, and I think you were the best grunkle I could ever ask for._

_Stanford,_

_Let me start this off by saying, no. Absolutely not. I know what you're thinking, and you have to be responsible. If you open the portal again, as you very well know, it could cause a multitude of disasters for the world. I know, I know, that's rich coming from the guy opening it in the first place, but I'm serious here, Ford. The universe is more important than my life. Don't let anyone else try to reopen the portal. Stan, Mabel, I'm looking at them here. Please, you're the only one I can trust to keep everyone, including yourself Mr. Martyr Complex, safe. I'm sorry I had to ask this of you. Now that that's out of the way, let me say, you were the best great uncle and mentor I could ever dream of having. I'm sorry for being such a mess all of the time, and making you worry. I'm sorry for taking away the kid that looked at you like you hung the stars in the sky. Over time, you've become more than just the legendary author of the journals. You've become a mentor, a friend, and dare I say a father figure. I can only hope that our short time together meant as much to you as it did to me. Thank you._

_Pacifica,_

_Wow, I don't honestly know what to say here. I'll start with the thank you. Seriously. Thank you so, so, so much. Throughout all of this insanity, you've been graciously letting me build this dangerous device in your basement, blindly trusting me. I can safely say that you're one of the best friends I have ever had. I don't know exactly what circumstances have led you to reading this letter, but I'm sure they must've been horrifying. I'm so sorry that I had to put such a burden on your shoulders. If there was any other way, I would've done it. I never meant to hurt you, and I apologize a million times if I ever did. Mabel's going to be extremely upset about this whole thing, so even if this is a selfish request, please make sure she's alright. I don't know where you two stand, but for what it's worth, I think you're perfect for my sister. I don't throw out compliments like that lightly, just so you know, I really mean it. I believe that you two can really make each other better, and help each other through this. Thank you again for everything._

_Thank you all for everything, and goodbye. Please don't blame yourselves._

_Love,_

_Dipper Pines._

He took a deep breath as he finished the letter. It was longer than expected, but that was alright. He put it under his pillow and felt his good mood rushing back, because he knew that soon he'd be with Kira again.

Dipper rushed downstairs, and to the kitchen for breakfast.

He grinned at Stan as he rushed to get a bowl of cereal, "Morning!" He called cheerfully.

Stan gave him a strange look as he poured cheerios, then milk into a bowl, "Whoa. What's gotten into you?" He asked, confused as to why Dipper was so excited.

"Just in a good mood, that's all," He explained, grinning as wolfed down his cheerios.

Stan was concerned and walked over to Dipper, "Are you sure you're not sick or somethin'? Do you have a fever?" He asked, putting his hand on Dipper's forehead.

Dipper raised an eyebrow and swatted Stanley's hand away, "I'm fine, Stan. And if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were worried about me," He said.

Stan snorted, "I just don't want you to get me sick, kid. I've got a business to run," He said.

He laughed, "Fair enough. But I'm not sick, I promise. Am I not allowed to be in a good mood?" He asked.

Stan raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced, but he let it slide, "Okay. Whatever floats your boat," He said.

He beamed as he finished off his breakfast, "Great! I'm going out for the day. Should be back by dinner," He said, putting his bowl in the sink and heading for the door.

Stanley frowned after him. Dipper clearly wasn't acting normally. He hadn't seen his nephew this happy since, well, since he was twelve. While the behaviour was nostalgic, it was also suspicious. Ford had mentioned something about a shapeshifter. But no, if that were true, then Dipper wouldn't be currently flying out of the door.

"Bye!" He called, jolting Stan out of his thoughts. With the sound of a slamming door, he was gone.

Stan stared after him, not quite sure how to comprehend what just happened. After a few minutes, he decided to see if Ford could figure it out any better than he could.

When he arrived in the lab, he was greeted with the rather disheveled form of his brother hunched over a desk. He cleared his throat, "Uh, Ford?" He asked tentatively.

Ford turned around quickly. He was jittery and jumpy, two common symptoms of letting coffee replace sleep.

"What is it, Stanley?" He asked rather impatiently. He tried not to be so dismissive of his brother lately, but he was tired and his old habits were returning with a vengeance.

He frowned, "Well I was gonna ask you somethin' about Dipper, but I'm more worried about you, Poindexter. When's the last time ya slept?" He probed.

Ford waved him off, "I'm fine, I slept a couple days ago," He said.

Stan's frown deepened, "What the heck, Ford? You're startin' to sound like the kid," He said.

Ford winced, "Please don't word it like that. Speaking of, what were you saying about Dipper?" He asked.

Stan remembered what Ford confided about hating that Dipper acted like him sometimes, and felt like an idiot for mentioning it. He decided to play along with Ford's attempt to change the subject and force him to sleep later, "Oh, right. He was acting really weird this morning," He said.

Ford frowned, "Weird, how?" He probed.

"Well… He was running around the kitchen, he actually made cereal without spilling it everywhere, and he was acting like a twelve-year-old," He explained.

Ford was concerned, "Did you check him for a fever?" He asked.

Stan nodded, "Yeah, he dodged me and said he was fine. He left before I could say anything," He said.

"Hmmm. That is perplexing. Are you sure it was really him?" Ford asked, a sudden paranoia in his eyes.

Stan wasn't entirely sure, but he was pretty certain that the Dipper at breakfast was the real thing. Besides, he didn't need Ford worrying about another thing on top of everything else plaguing his mind, "Yeah. I don't know. I could just be bein' paranoid," He said.

Ford nodded, but he looked unconvinced, "That could be the case…" He trailed off, deep in thought.

Stan wondered privately whether his nephew was under the influence of something. The idea of him messing with drugs was a terrible one, but it was an explanation for the sudden change in character. But no, as soon as the idea came to mind, he dismissed it. He had been right next to Dipper when he felt his forehead, and none of the traditional signs of being high were there. His pupils weren't dilated, he wasn't sweating excessively, his temperature was normal, his speech wasn't slurred, his movements were as quick and agile as ever, and he didn't seem to be mentally addled in any way.

Maybe he really was just in a good mood. Stan decided to let it go for the moment to deal with his sleep-deprived twin, "Nevermind all that. Now back to you, Ford. You look like Hannibal Lecter and Jeffrey Dahmer's love child," He said.

Ford sighed, "Why cannibals, Stan?" He asked,

He shrugged, "First two crazy serial killers that came to my head. Now let's get you to bed. Maybe you'll look less serial killerish once you've gotten some rest," he said.

Ford turned back to his work, "No thank you, Stanley. I'm fine," He said.

Stan grabbed his shoulder and turned him back around, "I wasn't asking. You can't keep going on like this," He said.

"I've done it for thirty years, Stan. I haven't died yet," He said, trying to turn away again.

Stanley growled, bent down, and flung Ford over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He was heavy, but Stan was determined.

Ford was angry, "Stanley, what on Earth are you doing? Put me down this instant!" He ordered.

Stan ignored him and carried his brother up the elevator and to his room, plopping him down on the couch. He threw a blanket over him and took his glasses off.

At this moment, Ford knew that there was no reasoning with his brother on this one. Besides, he really was tired. Maybe a few hours of sleep wouldn't hurt him.

Stan walked out of the room, flicking the lights off behind him, "Sleep well, nerd," He said as he left.

Meanwhile, Dipper was heading to town to purchase some supplies for his travels. He figured he would only bring the essentials, food, water, blaster, the device he used to hop dimensions, stuff to start a fire, change of clothes and maybe some gum to help with the nausea of hopping dimensions. (You never get used to it. It's like your insides are being forcefully turned inside out as you spin at supersonic speeds on the teacup ride.) But gum usually helps, for some reason.

He got in Stan's car, he was allowed to borrow it on certain occasions after having to swear up and down that he wouldn't let anything happen to it. He drove the speed limit as he was impatient to get his supplies and get home. He needed to pack and have a couple conversations with his family.

When he arrived in the parking lot of the store, he parked Stan's care as carefully as he could manage and headed into the store.

He stocked up on several bottles of water, canned and other non-perishable foods, a lighter, some lighter fluid, a black backpack, and a pack of spearmint gum.

The cashier stared at his purchases with a confused curiosity, but said nothing and continued ringing him up. He handed her the requested amount of money, thanked her, and left.

He loaded the bags into the Stanleymobile and drove back to the shack. He planned on scaling the back again and hiding his supplies before Stan could get suspicious.

He parked in front of the Mystery Shack and quickly ran to the back. All of the bags in hand, he attempted climbing the structure. After a few minutes of fruitless struggle, he gave up and just used his powers to jet himself up.

Thinking about it, propelling white-hot flames probably wasn't the best idea while he was carrying a ton of lighter fluid. Oh well.

By some miracle, he managed to get up to his window and climb in without setting the whole Shack on fire. He hid his supplies under his bed quickly and pulled out the black backpack. He pulled off all the tags and opened the largest pouch. He put in the food, water, and lighter fluid. He put his dimension hopper into the most convenient to reach pocket. The lighter went in the smaller pocket. He put his blaster in the larger pocket and realized that he had promised Pacifica her own to borrow if things went sideways. He cursed as he realized he only had one gun.

He was going to have to pull off a heist.

He hid the backpack under his bed and quickly crept downstairs. He had no idea how he was gonna sneak into Ford's lab without him noticing, but he would have to try.

As he passed his uncle's bedroom, he heard an unmistakable snore. He froze in his tracks and opened the door a crack. He was shocked. Grunkle Ford was sleeping? In the middle of the day? He immediately chalked it up to Grunkle Stan, and grinned. This was going to make his life much, much easier.

He quietly snuck past the living room where Stan was watching TV, into the lab, and began searching for a blaster. It shouldn't be too hard to find one, lord knows the man probably owned hundreds of them.

Luckily, he found one on a desk in the corner. Ford must've been tinkering with it. He felt guilty for taking it without asking, but he would make sure to tell Pacifica to return it when she was done. If all went to plan, then the gun would go unused, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

He quickly hid the gun in his sweater and hurried upstairs, only relaxing to take a breath when he reached the door of his bedroom. He leaned against it and sighed, looking down at the blaster.

It was a much older model than his own gun, and it wasn't nearly as good a weapon. He quickly reminded himself that Pacifica wouldn't be using it if he could help it, and it would work in a pinch.

He set it in the backpack, zipped up all of the pockets, and tried it on. It wasn't too heavy, but nothing really was to him. He had almost inhuman strength, thanks to Bill, that had been a bitch to control when he was first learning to use his powers.

He smiled and checked the clock, it was now noon. He couldn't believe it. Twelve more hours, and he would be off on the most important mission of his life. He felt the nerves begin to settle in as he thought about everything that could go wrong.

Easily the worst-case scenario to him was someone shutting the portal down and ruining all of his hard work, but he trusted Pacifica to keep it open. He was most worried about Grunkle Ford finding out about the portal, because he would be the first one to try and shut it down.

Dipper realized something with a jolt, and felt like an idiot for not thinking of it sooner. The gravity anomalies! Ford would definitely notice and identify them. His mind raced as he tried to figure out what to do.

He couldn't just leave poor Pacifica to fend for herself, assuming she'd even try to stop someone that tried to turn off the machine.

So Dipper did the only thing he could think of, he turned towards the window and jumped out. Forgetting all about the supplies under his bed, he ran to Pacifica's house.

He reached her place in a matter of minutes, using the key and sneaking down to the portal room, surprised to see Pacifica there, standing guard.

"Hi," He called out to get her attention.

She looked over at him in surprise, "Dipper? What are you doing here? The portal isn't supposed to turn on for another twelve hours!" She pointed out.

"I know," He said, stepping into the room and standing next to her, "But I couldn't just leave you alone to guard this thing. The gravity anomalies could be potentially dangerous. Not to mention the people who would do anything to keep the portal shut," He finished.

"I guess that makes sense," She conceded, "But there's still twelve hours until we have to do anything," She pointed out.

Dipper shrugged and sat on the ground, "Do you have UNO?" He asked.

She nodded, "I'll bring down some games," She said.

She left the room, and Dipper was left alone with his thoughts. He was filled with buzzing anticipation, overwhelming happiness, and butterflies in his stomach.

He turned to Bill, _Hey, Bill?_

 **Yeah, Pine Tree?** He responded immediately.

 _What do you think is going to happen, after we get her back?_ He asked, _Do you think she'll be angry at me for leaving her behind?_ He asked.

 **I don't know what's gonna happen, but I do know that she won't be mad at you. She might punch you out when you get back, but she won't hate you.** He reassured him.

Dipper chuckled, _That sounds about right. I hope you are._ He said.

 **I'm always right, kid. Now, I'll be taking my leave. Llama's gonna be back in a few minutes.** He said.

He smiled, _Bye, Bill._

 **Bye, kid.** Bill responded, the fondness in his voice hard to miss before he slipped out of his subconscious.

As soon as he did, he heard Pacifica enter the room with a bunch of board games and a box of crackers.

He smiled at her, and gasped at the box at the bottom of the pile, "Oh my gosh! Is that Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons?" He asked excitedly, forgetting about UNO.

She blushed in embarrassment, "Yeah," She said, seemingly ashamed to own the nerdy game.

"Do you play?" He asked again, grinning like an idiot.

She nodded reluctantly, "Yeah," She admitted.

Dipper smiled wider still, "Can we play?" He asked eagerly.

She glared at him, "Tell anyone about this and you're dead, Space Boy!" She snapped.

He held his hands up, "I won't tell a soul, but you know there's nothing wrong with being a little nerdy sometimes. You don't need to hide it. This can be part of your quest to be yourself and get out of your family's shadow or something," He suggested.

She smiled a little at that, "Okay! Let's do it!" She said.

The two sat down, and Dipper opened the box. The gameplay was a little awkward at first with Dipper as the DM and Pacifica being worried about embarrassing herself, but she soon relaxed and the two got into the spirit of DDMD.

They played for hours, going on quest, after quest, after quest. As the gravity anomalies hit, they were careful not to let the board get too messed up and keep the portal safe.

Pacifica didn't show it, but she was secretly worried about gravity breaking. She was getting second thoughts about the safety of this mission. Those thoughts stayed buried in her subconscious, she pushed them down for Dipper's sake, because she knew how much this meant to him.

Unfortunately, when a stronger anomaly than ever hit, knocking her to the floor and giving her a bruised hip, she excused herself to go to the bathroom.

Dipper never really told her the dangers of the portal, he didn't lie, but he sugar coated everything. She knew that if anyone would know, it would be Mabel.

Pacifica's phone weighed heavily in her pocket as she locked the bathroom door and turned on the fan, in case Dipper would try to listen in on her conversation. On one hand, she didn't want to betray him, on the other, she needed to think about the rest of Gravity Falls. She needed to know how dangerous this was.

With shaky hands and a heavy heart, she dialed Mabel's number. She picked up on the first ring, "Hey, Paz! What's up?" She asked brightly.

She smiled despite herself, "Hey, Mabes," She said.

She could practically hear her frown in worry, "What's wrong? Are you okay?" She asked.

Pacifica took a deep breath, "I have to tell you something," She said.

"What is it?" Mabel asked, sounding hopeful now.

Pacifica didn't pick up on her tone and said, "Dipper, he's- He's rebuilding the portal," She finished.

Silence. Dead, silence on the other end. There was no sound for so long that Pacifica thought the call had been dropped, "Mabel? Are you there?" She asked.

Finally, she heard Mabel's shaky voice come through the other end, "What's going on?" She asked.

Pacifica sighed and explained everything. How he borrowed her basement to build the device, how he was planning on saving his wife, how the gravity anomalies were getting stronger and stronger, and how she was scared about what was going to happen.

When Mabel spoke again, her voice was determined, "Okay. Hold on. I'll be there in a few hours," She said, "How long until the portal fires up?" She asked.

"4 hours," She said automatically, then frowned, "I thought your parents don't want you coming up here ever again," She said.

"They don't. I'll be there in a few hours. Bye Paz," She said bluntly. Then, without another word, she hung up. Her parents weren't yet home from work, even though it was eight, and they wouldn't be for at least another hour.

She walked downstairs and grinned at her dad's car keys, and his car just sitting unattended in the garage. She had her out.

 _Eh, who needs a license anyways? After all_ , she thought, _When there are no cops around, everything's legal!_

"I'm coming, Bro-Bro," She muttered as she got in the vehicle.

Pacifica put her phone in her pocket, puzzled and concerned at the exchange. She wanted to ponder how exactly Mabel planned to get to Gravity Falls at this hour but decided that she didn't want to know.

She quickly made her way back to the portal room where Dipper was waiting patiently, "Finally!" He said, "I was getting worried about you. Come on, we can still squeeze in a quest before we have to prepare," He said, looking meaningfully at the countdown device.

They played another game, but Pacifica wasn't into it. She was too worried about the machine behind her. Dipper was the same, but his distraction was for a completely different reason.

After Pacifica's character slew the beast and got her reward, Dipper stood up, "Alright, do you remember the safe question?" He asked.

Pacifica nodded and recited it, "'There are over 600 species of what tree?" She said.

He nodded, "And I will answer?" He prompted.

"Pine Tree," She said.

He broke into a grin, "Great, now-" He broke off as if only just remembering something, "Crap! I forgot my stuff at the Shack! Sit tight, I'll be back in a few minutes," He promised, running upstairs.

Dipper couldn't believe he had forgotten his supplies, and only with barely 3 and a half hours to go on the portal too! How careless could you get?

No matter, he'd just sneak in through the front door, run upstairs, and grab his stuff.

He ran as fast as he could and berated himself for his mistake.

Meanwhile, Stanley was getting worried about Dipper. He had been experiencing the gravity anomalies all day, yet he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want the dots to connect in his con-man mind, but they did regardless. As for Ford, he slept for the entire day under Stan's insistence.

Stan went up to the attic, hoping to find Dipper there, but the room was empty. He noticed a piece of paper sticking out of his nephew's pillowcase, picked it up, and read it. He felt a little guilty for invading his privacy, but you didn't just disappear for hours and expect not to have a little snooping done.

He read the letter, which only confirmed his worst suspicions. He dropped the piece of paper on Dipper's bed and rushed downstairs. Based on the contents of the note, he was most likely at the Northwest's new place. He had to admit, it was a clever move. Pacifica Northwest was the last person he expected him to be hanging out with right now.

Stan tried to control his panic at the horrifyingly familiar situation. No. This wouldn't end like with Ford. He'd talk the kid out of this.

He had to.

He practically ran down the stairs and to the front door. He had to stop Dipper, he had to protect him, he had to do something right for once in his miserable life.

He was startled out of his thoughts when he ran right into his nephew, "Kid?" He asked, not sure how to confront his nephew.

"Hey, Grunkle Stan…" He trailed off. One look at his expression told him everything he needed to know, "You know, don't you?" He asked.

Stanley nodded, "Yeah. Why the hell are you rebuilding the portal?" He demanded.

Dipper sighed, "Stan, why did you rebuild the portal when you saved Ford?" He asked.

Stan opened his mouth, then closed it. He didn't know how to respond to him. On one hand, he wanted to keep his nephew safe. On the other hand, how could he deny him the chance to save the person he most cared about.

He saw Dipper's face when he talked about her, hell he saw how happy he was at just the prospect of seeing her again. How could he, in good conscience, deny him that happiness? How hypocritical would he have to be to keep him from saving her?

"Listen," He pleaded, "I'm so sorry I didn't trust you the first time. You were just trying to save your brother. I'm just trying to save my wife- I- I have to do this. Please, Stan," He said.

Stanley stared at him for a good minute, contemplating his request. After a while, he asked, "You really love her, don't you?"

Dipper nodded, "With all of my heart," He said.

Stan sighed and pinched his nose, "I might be making a big mistake here, but… I trust you. Do what you have to do, I won't stop you," He conceded.

Dipper's eyes widened, "Really?" He asked.

He glared at him, "Go before I change my mind!" He said.

Dipper didn't have to be told twice. He ran up the stairs, calling down to his great uncle, "Thank you!" He said.

Then, without another word, he went into his room, grabbed his supplies, and climbed out of the window.

Meanwhile, Mabel was driving her father's car to Gravity Falls. She hadn't been caught yet, but she didn't want to push her luck. After three hours of driving, she eventually found the Gravity Falls water tower. Unfortunately, the stolen car ran out of gas. Praying for her brother's safety, she got out and ran.

Pacifica was waiting for Dipper to come back, anxiously wondering what was going to happen.

All of them had the number, 2 hours, left in their heads as the biggest gravity anomaly yet hit.

Ford didn't sleep through this one. He woke up in horror at the fact that he was floating three feet in the air.

He immediately came to a conclusion, and it was a terrible one. He leaped up and grabbed his glasses, running out of the room to find Stan sitting in his chair, "Where's Dipper?" Ford demanded wildly.

Stanley just looked at him, "I think you know, Sixer," He said.

Ford was horrified, "But why- Where- What- Why didn't you stop him?!" He demanded.

"I couldn't. Even if I tried to keep him from opening it, he would've found a way to. You know that too," Stan said, "Besides, I'm not a hypocrite. And I trust the kid. He's gonna make it back," He said forcefully.

Ford shook his head manically, "No. No, no, no, no! I have to stop him! He could really destroy our entire dimension!" He said.

"Sixer, don't go. Trust me," Stan pleaded, getting up and in Ford's way.

Ford stared at him for a second, before shoving him aside and running for the door, "I don't have a choice," He said.

Stan got up and chased after him, not sure if he wanted to stop or help his brother in his conquest to shut the portal down.

Stan, Ford, Mabel and Dipper were all running for Pacifica's house.

This was now a race to the portal.

With the world at stake, the Pines family all ran to save something.

The only question was… Who would get there first?


	15. Dipper, I Trust You

As it would turn out, Mabel was the winner of their race. She rushed up to Pacifica's front door and pounded on it, "Pacifica! It's me! Open up!" She called.

Pacifica quickly answered the door and ushered the anxious sister inside. Mabel was panicking, "I got here as fast as I could. Where's Dipper? What happened? Am I- Am I too late?" She asked.

She held her hands up in a calming gesture, "Calm down, Mabel. Dipper's fine. He didn't go through yet. I promise I'll explain everything in a minute," She said.

Mabel was barely listening, "Where's the portal? We have to shut it down! He can't go. I can't lose him!" She said, rushing past Pacifica and, noticing the basement door, running through it.

She quickly chased after her crush, she couldn't let her close the portal. She made a promise to Dipper. One that she wouldn't break without good reason.

She found Mabel with her hand poised over the button, "Wait!" She cried.

She looked up, tears in her eyes, "I can't lose him, Paz," She said, "Even if he hates me. Even if he never forgives me. I have to stop him!" She said.

Pacifica was speechless. She had no idea how to respond to Mabel's desperation, so she said nothing, looked down, and nodded. There was nothing she could do.

Mabel stared intently at the button, moved her and slowly downwards, and-

"DON'T PRESS THAT BUTTON!" A desperate voice came from the entrance of the room.

The two girls turned to see Dipper. His hair was wild, and his expression even more so. Mabel faltered and stared at her brother.

"Please!" He begged, "Just step back and let me explain," He said.

Her expression hardened, "I know plenty! I know you were trying to go back! You're- You're leaving me behind," She said in a quiet voice.

Dipper shook his head, "I'm not staying there. I'm going to come back," He insisted, walking closer to his twin.

"You don't know that!" She screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Please, Dipper. Don't leave me alone again," She pleaded.

Dipper's expression softened and filled with a rare vulnerability, "I know you have no reason to, but I need you to trust me. I promise I'll do everything in my power to come back safely. Please- I- I can't live without her," He said.

He was standing only a few feet in front of her, so he could physically pull her away, but he didn't. He needed this to be her decision on whether she trusted him or not.

At those words, Mabel's hand slowly retracted. Even though her head was screaming at her to press it, her heart knew that she couldn't. She couldn't take this away from her brother.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she conceded, "I trust you," She said, backing away.

Dipper's relief was short-lived. For as soon as Mabel backed away from the button, a new presence, or rather two, appeared in the entrance.

Dipper turned to see Grunkle Ford, with Grunkle Stan close behind him. He felt a spark of annoyance. This was not how he planned for this evening to go, "Is everyone going to try to stop me from opening the portal?" He demanded, stepping closer to the button.

Ford's expression was one of anger, fear, and a lot of betrayal, "Have you lost your mind?" He demanded, "What in the name of the axolotl almighty convinced you that reactivating the portal into the Nightmare Realm was a good idea?" He demanded.

Under different circumstances, Dipper might've laughed at the familiar multiverse lingo. Instead he turned to Stan, who was standing behind Ford, "Stan, did you tell him anything about what I'm doing, or did you just let him jump to conclusions?" He demanded.

Stan shrugged helplessly, "I tried to explain, but he wouldn't listen!" He said.

Dipper turned to Ford, "Then, why exactly do you think I'm reactivating the portal?" He asked.

"I don't know!" He said angrily, "I don't know why any sane person would rebuild and activate a possibly world ending device!"

Dipper sighed, "Pardon my french, but will you guys chill the fuck out and let me explain?" He asked.

When no one said anything, he continued, "Like I said in that failsafe note that no one bothered to read, I'm not leaving forever. I'm going on a two day rescue mission for my wife. Yes, she's alive. If I die or can't come back, then that's a risk I'm willing to take. And none of you can stop me," He said.

Ford was stubborn, "It's too risky! Two days is barely enough time to conduct anything, much less a rescue mission! Besides, how do you even know she's still out there?" He countered.

Dipper tapped the side of his head, "I literally have access to most, if not all, of the knowledge in the universe. Bill isn't lying about this, he has nothing to gain from it. Ergo, she's alive," He said.

Ford couldn't argue with that logic, but he still wanted to keep his nephew from endangering himself, "Still, so much could go wrong. You could be hurt, you could get stuck out there, you could- You could be killed!" He said.

Dipper nodded, "I know. Grunkle Ford, I know this is difficult for you, but I have to ask you to trust me. Please," He said.

Ford's determined expression faltered. Even though he wanted to keep trying to talk Dipper out of this, he looked at the pleading desperation on his face. He had begged him to trust him. He was showing vulnerability, something he didn't do often.

He sighed, "Alright. I trust you, Dipper,' He said.

Stan was annoyed, "Oh, what, you trust him and not me?" He asked.

Ford winced in apology, "I'm sorry, Stanley. I should have listened to you, I admit it," He said.

"It's fine," He said.

Dipper looked at the time, one hour left, and cleared his to gather attention, "Anyways, there's an hour left until the portal turns on. I assume you're all on my side now?" He asked, looking around.

Everyone nodded, "Good," Dipper said, "I didn't want to have to force choke anybody,"

Inwardly, he asked, _Bill, can I do that?_

The demon shrugged, **Probably. I don't know how your body would handle it, though.** He said.

Mabel laughed, "When you call it, 'Force Choking', it doesn't sound very threatening," She pointed out.

Pacifica shrugged and smiled, "He's a nerd, give him a break," She said.

Dipper turned to face her, "I almost forgot. Here's the blaster I promised you," He said, handing her the weapon, "Press this to turn off the safety," He said, pointing at a switch, "And press this to fire," He said, pointing at the trigger.

She nodded and took hold of the weapon. Mabel looked jealous, and Ford was confused.

Dipper turned to Ford, "Oh, sorry I stole your gun," He said.

He frowned, "So it is okay to give children weapons in this dimension?" He asked.

"Uhh," He said, trying to find a way to answer that question. After a minute, he suddenly remembered that Mabel was there, and found a way to change the subject, "Mabel! How did you get here? Did Mom and Dad drive you?" He asked.

She jumped at the sudden confrontation, "Uh…" She trailed off.

Everyone else seemed to want the answer to that question. Ford spoke up, "Did you take the bus?" He asked, concerned.

"Promise not to get mad?" She asked.

Everyone nodded, and Mabel looked away, "I kinda… Maybe… Sorta… Stole Dad's car," She said.

"You WHAT?" Dipper demanded.

"You promised you wouldn't get mad!" Mabel yelped.

"You stole a car? You drove it all the way here?" He demanded.

She nodded, "Yeah…"

"Why in the world would you do that? You could've been arrested! You could've died!" He snapped.

Mabel tried for a joke, "Hey, you know what Grunkle Stan always says: When there are no cops around, everything's legal!" She said.

Ford snapped out of his speechless horror and turned on his brother, "You told her what?" He demanded.

Stan immediately jumped to his own defense, "I didn't tell her to steal a car and drive it several hundred miles!" He protested.

Ford growled in frustration, "Is no one in this family capable of making logical decisions?" He demanded.

Dipper snorted, "You're one to talk," He said.

Ford glared at him, "Unnecessary," He said.

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Anyways, you're not off the hook, young lady, but we'll have to finish this conversation later. We have about thirty minutes until the portal turns on," He said.

Mabel's reaction to this was surprising, "I'm coming with you!" She blurted.

Well, that came out of nowhere. Surprisingly, the first person to react to that statement was Pacifica, "Mabel, you can't! It's too dangerous!" She said.

Mabel was stubborn, "We're the mystery twins! Wherever we go, we go together!" She said.

Pacifica wasn't giving up, "You can't just recklessly throw yourself-"

"I can't leave him alone again! He needs me, Paz! Why are you trying to stop me?" She cut across her.

Pacifica unexpectedly caught Mabel's hands in her own, "Because I love you! Just, please… Stay," She begged, her voice breaking midway.

Mabel was shocked, "I- I- You do?" She asked. For once in her life, she was utterly speechless.

Pacifica immediately backpedaled, "I- I know it's wrong. I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"  
"I love you too," Mabel breathed, and before Paz could get a word in edgewise, she leaned in and kissed her.

 **YES! FINALLY! VICTORY IS MINE!** Bill yelled in triumph, making Dipper wince. He didn't blame the demon. He was currently suppressing the urge to celebrate himself.

He looked at Stan and Ford. They were both utterly stunned. Ford looked much more shocked than Stan. Dipper was confident that he didn't care that Mabel was pan, but he was shocked because he didn't know how much the world had progressed since the eighties.

Stan cleared his throat and the girls pulled away. Dipper ignored Bill's groan and listened to what Stan had to say, "Alright, alright. That's enough of that," He said.

Mabel looked a little uneasy, "Do you… Care?" She asked.

Stan laughed, "What? No! Do ya have any idea how many guys I've- Well, that's not the point. As for Sixer over here…" He grinned evilly at his brother.

Ford turned about six shades of red, "Stanley, don't you dare!" He said.

He ignored him, "Let's just say that college buddy was more than just a buddy," He said.

Dipper shrugged, "Oh, I already knew that," He said.

Ford looked at him incredulously, "How could you possibly-"

"I've been to that 'Better World' you talked about. It was pretty cool," He said, laughing a bit, "I remember the time I walked in on you and Fiddeford in the corner of the laboratory…" He trailed off, realizing what he just said.

A beat of silence passed as everyone in the room processed what he meant.

Ford was absolutely mortified, while Stan looked as though Christmas had come early.

The two girls, who were now holding hands, giggled. Mabel spoke first, "It's not illegal anymore, Grunkle Ford," She informed him.

He forgot his embarrassment at this news, "Really? Gay marriage is finally legal in this dimension?" He asked, sounding excited. His excitement faded into anger, "And no one bothered to tell me?!" He demanded.

Stan held his hands up, "I thought you already knew," He said.

Ford groaned, "Oh my god, I can't believe this!" He cleared his throat, "Anyways, I have some… Things to do after this. But we don't have time to talk now. There's only twenty minutes left," He pointed out.

Dipper jumped, "Shi-Shoot! You're right. We'll talk about all of this later," He agreed, "Listen. You guys have to reopen the portal at exactly midnight in two days. Leave it open for five minutes, no more, no less. The question to prove that whatever comes through the portal is really me is, 'There are over 600 species of what tree?' I will answer Pine Tree. If I don't say something immediately, don't know the answer, or say the factually correct answer of 'Oak Tree', then it isn't the real me. Determine if it's dangerous or not, and do whatever is best for the safety of our dimension. I cannot stress this enough when I say that it is vital for you guys to open the portal at the correct time and remember the safe word. Mabel, you know all my tells, so you can tell if I'm lying. Lastly, if I don't come back, I don't come back. Absolutely do not open the portal again under any circumstances. Any questions?" He asked.

Everyone seemed to get the picture. Mabel looked like she wanted to protest the idea of not reopening the portal if Dipper got stuck out there, but she knew it was too late to argue. All she could do was hope that her brother knew what he was doing.

As if he read her mind, he responded, "Relax, guys. I know what I'm doing. I spent ten years in the multiverse. All of those warnings were worst case scenario stuff. I promise that I'll do the best I can to get back safely," He said.

Mabel was a little reassured by those words. If Dipper lasted ten years in the multiverse, what was two days to him? He would be fine.

He had to be fine.

Dipper checked the time on the clock, 10 minutes remaining. He swallowed. Despite how eager he was to see Kira again, he was also anxious.

What if he couldn't find her in time? What if she didn't want to go with him? What if she resented him? What if she was-

 **Stop. You're doing the whole mental breakdown thing again. Calm down Pine Tree, she's-** Bill broke off, confused.

What? What's wrong? Where is she? He asked, now scared.

 **Okay, don't freak out, but I think she's been kidnapped to Lottocron Nine.** He said.

"WHAT?!" He screamed aloud, making everyone in the room jump.

 **I said don't freak out!** Bill yelped.

"Dipper, what's wrong?" Ford asked, concerned.

Dipper was shaken, "Kira she's- How much time?" He asked.

Ford glanced at the timer, "6 minutes. Why? What's going on?" He asked.

"I need to hurry," Dipper said shortly, his mind already going into rescue mode.

Ford realized what he was saying and nodded, "I understand," He said, "Five minutes!" He shouted to everyone else while Dipper got in position in front of the warning line. He opened his pack and put a couple of pieces of gum in his mouth, preparing for the nausea that always accompanied dimension-hopping.

Pacifica gave him an encouraging thumbs-up, "Good luck!" She said loudly enough for Mabel to hear, "I'll kill you if you die," Was whispered softly enough so only the boy with demon enhanced senses could hear.

He nodded, taking the rather paradoxical threat in stride, "I understand," He said.

Stan nodded at him, "Go find your wife, kid," He said. There was an underlying message, _It's okay if you have to stay behind for her. I understand._ That touched him deeply.

Even though the notion clearly tore him up inside, he wouldn't be mad if Dipper had to leave them for Kira's sake.

He gave his great uncle a genuine smile, "Thank you, Grunkle Stan. For everything," He said and hoped that Stan knew how much he meant it.

The next person to wish him well was Ford, "Godspeed, Dipper," He said.

Dipper nodded, "You too," He said.

The only person left was Mabel. Dipper turned to his sister, who didn't bother to hide the obvious tears pouring down her cheeks.

He felt guilty about her distress, "Mabel, I'm sorry," He said, "I never wanted-"

"Shh!" Mabel cut him off, smiling through her tears, "Don't be sorry! I think we all knew this was gonna happen. Just... Make sure you get back safely, okay?" She said.

Dipper nodded solemnly, "I promise," He said. Knowing he would do everything in his power to make sure he kept it.

"Guess this is goodbye for now," She said, "Save Mrs. Nerd for me!"

Dipper shared a sad smile with her, "I will. See you later, sis," He said.

Tears continued streaking down her face as she grinned, "See you soon, Dip-Dop,"

Dipper turned back to the portal as the timer began counting down from a minute. He knew what was coming and yelled, "Hold onto something!" As the biggest gravity anomaly hit the basement.

Everyone quickly complied, and Dipper began being sucked into the portal.

"Dipper! I love you!" Mabel screamed, desperately trying to convey one last sentiment to her twin.

Just as he felt himself being pulled into the glowing vortex, he managed to face his sister. She was crying so hard she could barely hang onto the cord she was using to anchor herself to the wall.

He felt tears burn in his eyes as he managed to give her one last smile, "I love you too, Mabel," He said, so quietly that he shouldn't have been heard over the cacophony of noise, but his twin nodded as if she understood.

Before either could say anything else, Dipper's whole world went white.

And both twins were now on their own.


	16. Into the Multiverse! Take Two

When Dipper tried to recall exactly how nauseating interdimensional travel could be, his imagination didn't do it justice.

As the young man was flung through a chaotic, glowing nightmare, he had to resist the urge to vomit. The gum in his mouth, though he nearly choked on it, was the only thing that kept him grounded in his body.

Bill on the other hand, was treating the experience as if he was on a roller coaster, **WHOO! FASTER! FASTER!** He whooped in delight.

"AHHHH!" Dipper screamed.

Just as he didn't think his sanity could stand any more careening through nothingness, he found himself being spit out on the other side.

He gasped for breath and tried to get his bearings while Bill was whining about wanting to go again.

Dipper reached back, terrified that his pack was gone for a second, before sighing in relief when he found it.

He surveyed his surroundings, and found that the Nightmare Realm was the same as ever, "This place hasn't changed a bit. Bill! Where's Kira?" He asked.

 **She's somewhere in Lottocron Nine. Her location… It's been obscured somehow?** He sounded confused.

Dipper was also confused, "What do you mean, 'Obscured'? How the hell do you hide something from a literal omnipotent demon?" He demanded.

 **I don't know. But we should hurry up. Ki-Ki could be in some serious trouble if we don't hurry.** He said.

"Ki-Ki? What is it with you and stupid nicknames?" He asked in distaste.

 **No time to argue. We gotta get to the Gambling Dimension.** He said, effectively evading Dipper's previous question.

"You're right. I've just got to get my dimensional-"

"YOU!" A booming voice startled Dipper into attention.

Standing a few feet before him, visibly furious, was Eight Ball. Dipper's old friend.

He barely spared the demon a glance as he searched his pack, knowing he could easily blast this thing to the moon if he had to. Speaking of blast, he pulled out his blaster and holstered it for later use.

"Hey! Don't ignore me, puny human!" Eight Ball screamed.

Dipper gave the demon a bored look, "What do you want?" He asked wearily.

"I'm here for revenge, Pines! You see, I'm not the same demon I was all those years ago. I've been training, and-"

"Shut up," He said, aiming a lethal blast of blue fire at the annoyance.

He didn't even have time to scream as the flames engulfed him, reducing him to mere cinders.

Under normal circumstances, Dipper would've been a little disturbed at how easily he turned a demon to ashes. Now, though, he simply pulled out his dimensional travel device.

Bill was a little shocked, **Wow, Pine Tree. That was badass!** He said, impressed.

"Nevermind that. We need to stay focused," He said cooly, preparing the coordinates in his dimension-hopping device.

"Let's hope, for their sake, there are no more distractions," He said.

 **Damn, Dipper. If I weren't me, I'd be a little scared of you right now**. Bill said, sounding simultaneously impressed and concerned.

Dipper cracked a smile, "Luckily you are you. Now let's go get my wife back," He said, activating his device.

The two were instantly sucked into another vortex, and they were sent spinning away to the gambling dimension.

When Dipper next opened his eyes, he was standing in the Lottocron Nine custom's building. Any clues on where she is? He asked as he joined a line. He wasn't carrying anything illegal in his pack, nothing that could help him cheat that was.

 **Somewhere on the west side of the planet. I don't know, that's the best I can do. Sorry, Pine Tree.** He said.

It's fine. I can work with that. He responded.

The lines were rather short, and he was quickly at the front. He pricked his finger and they took the blood sample. He wasn't worried.

Lottocron Nine was fiercely neutral in the Bill versus Pines Family war that overtook the multiverse.

Since Dipper had never done anything illegal, cheating at a gamble, in their dimension, he was fine.

"Mason Pines. Age 23. Never accused of cheating, swindling, or aiding and abetting anyone who has committed these crimes, your record is clear and your luggage is good. You may proceed," The alien customs worker waved him on.

"Thank you," He said, rather absently as he entered the planet. He took a moment to appreciate his luxurious surroundings. He had heard of Las Vegas, and he knew that it couldn't possibly hold a candle to this place.

Every building was shining and advertising some kind of gambling opportunity, and it was almost too overwhelming to take in.

And speaking of gambling, it was happening everywhere. People were rolling dice over parking spaces, playing poker with groceries as the stakes, it almost made him want to go and place his own bet-

He shook himself out of his reverie. No. He had to stay on track. This place had a habit of making you want to gamble everything but your own underwear off of your ass. He made the mistake of letting himself get swept up in it the first time he came here. It was how he lost his original pine tree hat.

He had to stay focused. Even as Bill himself oohed and ahhed over the sparkling city, Dipper simply walked ahead and ignored the crowd. He had something a lot more important than a hat that he could end up losing today if he didn't keep going.

He headed west and let Bill guide him to the best of his ability. Dipper came to the uncomfortable realization that they were entering the more… Shady part of the planet.

Everywhere they went, higher stakes games were being played in dark alleyways and deserted street corners. Dipper had to practically smack himself upside the head to get Bill away from the people playing Russian Roulette.

 _We have to stay focused, Bill. Besides, if we play Russian Roulette it's my own neck I'm risking, not yours. I can't afford to get myself shot in the head just yet. Maybe some other time._ He said.

 **You don't mean that.** He pouted.

 _Depends how reckless I'm feeling. Would I even survive a shot to the head?_ He wondered.

 **No idea! That's the fun of it.** Bill chirped.

 _I swear to god, Bill, you're making me more and more of a masochist every day._ He replied as he traveled down the street Bill directed him towards.

 **That's what I do best, Pine Tree! Oh! Left turn here. I think.** He said.

 _Well, that's reassuring_ , He thought as he made the turn.

It seemed that every turn they took seemed to lead them further and further down the rabbit hole, and Dipper began to get the feeling that he was close.

 _How much further, do you think?_ He asked his mental companion.

 **Not much- Do you hear that? Pine tree! I think we found her!** He said excitedly.

Dipper strained to listen and, sure enough, over the sounds of a dangerous alley, he heard a voice he never thought he'd get to again.

A faint, "You bastards! I swear to god if I still had my powers-" Came from his right.

Dipper quickly felt panic, relief, dread, and joy seize his chest as he blindly rushed to the voice. He ignored Bill's attempts to get him to slow down, and soon stumbled upon…

A lot of shady looking hobos, with his wife tied to a building. He began to make his way out into the open, but Bill stopped him. D **ipper, wait. There are too many of them to take on your own without Ki-Ki getting injured. We're gonna have to stealth this.** He said.

 _What would you know about stealth? Your two vocal volumes are loud and louder. Dipper pointed out impatiently, If you're implying that I should be in disguise, how do you suggest I pull that off?_ He asked.

 **Hmmm. Let me think- Oh! Look at the end of the alley!** He said excitedly.

Dipper did what he asked and saw nothing but a passed out man on the ground, _What am I looking at?_ He wondered.

 **Your disguise is waiting! Chop chop!** Bill urged him onward.

Dipper realized what he meant, _Bill! I can't just steal the clothes off of a homeless man's back!_ He protested.

Bill was insistent, **Come on, Pine Tree! Do you see any other options? This is for Ki-Ki!** He said.

Dipper sighed, _Fine. Please stop calling her Ki-Ki._ He said.

 **No can do, Pine Tree! You're wasting time arguing. If he lives here, he probably has some dice on him. Take those too.** He advised.

 _Wha- Bill! I'm not stealing this innocent man's-_ He began.

 **You don't have a choice. Go!** Bill cut him off.

When he realized that his mental companion was unfortunately right, he began to steal the man's clothes. They reeked of booze and body odor, and Dipper winced as he put them on. He shoved his own clothes in his bag and vowed to change into them as soon as he could. He felt a little bad for the homeless man, and decided to leave the guy's pants alone and give him the leather jacket that he got with Mabel and Pacifica.

The man was indeed carrying dice that Dipper stole and pocketed. By the time he was done, he looked like a bona fide Lottocron Nine hobo.

Exactly how he wanted to look when he saw his wife for the first time in 3 years.

He made his way towards the circle of people and knew that he would have to gamble to get Kira back.

He took a deep breath and burst into the scene, "I want to play!" He shouted.

Everyone in the group turned around to look at him and the guy in charge shrugged, "Why not? I hope you have a good bet. This one is worth a small fortune in bounty. And, well, she really is a pretty little thing," He trailed off, eyeing Kira hungrily.

Dipper had to fight the urge to launch himself at the guy for his disgusting insinuations. Instead, he sat down with the men and pulled out his universal credit card, "100,000 Units." He said, throwing the card in the center with everyone else's bets.

The man grinned, "Wonderful. I am your host tonight. You may call me X. We roll 100 sided dice. Whoever gets the highest roll wins. Winner takes all," He said, gesturing at the money and Kira.

As X was explaining the rather simple rules to the game, Dipper managed to catch Kira's eye. He made a zipper motion across his lips, the sign he had used since Wendy first did, and gave her a warning look. Keep quiet. I'm going to get you out of here.

Her eyes widened and filled with tears, but she didn't make a sound. She looked so relieved and shocked that Dipper was there that she didn't question anything about his strategy.

Dipper turned his attention back to X, who was instructing them to take out their dice.

Each man pulled out their 100 sided dice, and he quickly fished the stolen one out of his bag. Everyone handed them over to their 'Host' and he inspected them for anything that could be potentially used for cheating.

He pulled out his own di and passed it around. Bill mentally frowned, **Pine Tree, this di is magnetized.** He warned him.

 _What do you mean it's magnetized? What number will it land on?_ He demanded.

 **99\. It can't land on a perfect 100, otherwise he'll be accused of cheating. Which he is. You have to get a 100 to win.** He explained.

Dipper was horrified, _But that's nearly impossible! The odds of that happening are-_

 **One percent, I know. You're going to have to figure something out if you want to win.** Bill informed him gravely.

 _What do you want me to do? Everyone's watching! I'm just gonna have to stick to my original-_ He began, starting to stand up. He stopped in his tracks and smirked slightly.

Stick, you say?

Before long, X was calling all of them for the game to begin. Dipper held his di in his hands and took a shaky breath. He took a look at Kira, which cemented his resolve and heightened his nerves simultaneously.

X grinned manically, "Does everyone understand the rules?" He asked.

All of the men nodded, and his smile widened, "Excellent! You can go first. We'll go around the circle," He said, pointing to the man on his left. That meant that Dipper would go last, seeing as where he was positioned.

He watched as the boney man closed his eyes and rolled his di. He got a 38. Not bad, but not good either.

His face fell as he realized that he wasn't going to win as he watched the next guy roll.

Sure enough, the next man in the circle got a 42. Not fantastic, but good enough to surpass the guy that went first.

On and on the rolling went, until the turn got to their host. Every man in the circle was completely engrossed in X's pre-rolling warm up. Dipper resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the man's theatrics.

Finally, he rolled his di. Everyone stared intently at the di, waiting for it to land. When it did, Dipper saw the number. 99. Just like Bill had predicted.

Everyone groaned, they knew they had lost. He swallowed. To beat that, he would need a whole lot of luck. He held his di carefully, not wanting to screw up his concentration.

He took one last look at Kira, who was practically shaking from the anticipation. Dipper didn't blame her. He was too.

Praying to all of the gods in the universe who didn't hate him, he threw his di. It bounced on the ground once… twice… Three times, and landed on-


	17. Waiting

It had been about six hours since Dipper disappeared in the portal, and Mabel was losing her mind. The first hour was spent crying, the next frantically reassuring everyone, the next ranting, the next cuddling with Pacifica, the next praying for her brother, and now she was reduced to pacing restlessly back and forth across the room.

He's not dead. Repeated in her head like a mantra, each step accenting the reassuring words. She knew he wasn't dead. He couldn't be. And by her twin sensors, he wasn't even in danger.

He was fine.

Pacifica looked anxiously at her… Girlfriend now? The two didn't really have time to settle the details. She blushed slightly at the idea. She never thought she'd ever actually be able to use the words "Mabel" and "Girlfriend" in the same sentence.

She had pinched herself several times throughout the six hours that passed to make sure that this was real.

It was.

She walked to Mabel and put a hand on her shoulder, effectively stopping her manic pacing, "Hey. He's going to be okay. Dipper's tough," She said.

Mabel nodded, "I know. It's just- I-" She broke off with a small sob, swaying on her feet.

Pacifica quickly caught her girlfriend, and lowered her onto the ground.

"I-I'm sorry," She said.

Pacifica shook her head, "Don't be. I'll go get you some blankets, okay?" She said.

Mabel nodded miserably as she dashed off to get some supplies to make a bed.

She noted that her parents were still God knows where, and felt a twinge of anxiety at the thought of them finding out about her relationship. At best, she would have several of her credit cards cancelled and be grounded for a few weeks, at worst she'd be disowned.

Actually, no. At worst, she'd be forbidden from contacting Mabel. Being disowned would be worlds better than that. After all, Dipper was getting his own place in Piedmont. Maybe she could crash with him for a while.

Her stomach twisted painfully at the mention of Mabel's twin. Despite their… Rather rocky start, Pacifica genuinely liked him. He was a good friend, and she didn't want anything to happen to him, even if she pretended her concern was purely for Mabel's sake.

She shook herself out of her distracting thoughts and grabbed some pillows and blankets. This wasn't about her right now, it was about Mabel. Her problems could wait until her sweetheart was alright.

When she reentered the makeshift portal room, she found Mabel curled up on the floor. Stan and Ford were trying to comfort her, but Pacifica shoved past them with the pillows and blankets.

She made a bed for her girlfriend and gently laid her down in it. She looked significantly more comfortable, while Pacifica gently stroked her hair until she fell asleep.

When she was sure Mabel was sleeping peacefully, she turned to Stan and Ford. To her surprise, they were staring her down, "Uh. What?" She asked, feeling awkward.

Ford fixed his burning glare on her, "Now that Mabel's asleep, what exactly are your intentions with our niece?" He asked.

Pacifica was confused, "Intentions?" She echoed.

"You heard the nerd," Stan said, also glaring at her.

"I've heard about how you used to treat our niblings," Ford said, "Now answer the question,"

Pacifica's face fell at the mention of her past behavior. She had grown so much as a person since those days, and had apologized to Mabel for all of it. But that didn't change the fact that she had been a jerk.

"I know I was kind of the worst back then, and I'm sorry. I can't change the past, but I can promise that I do love Mabel. I always have and I always will. I won't let anything happen to her," She said, for once being completely honest about her feelings instead of employing her tsundere nature as a defense mechanism.

The brothers exchanged a look, and nodded at each other. They seemed to be satisfied with her response, "Good answer," Ford said.

"Remember. Hurt her and you'll have another thing comin' kid," Stan said.

Pacifica nodded, "I understand," She said.

He nodded, "Good," He said.

The two eventually left Mabel and Pacifica alone. As soon as they left, Mabel opened her eyes, "So you really love me, Paz?" She asked, smiling.

Pacifica turned strawberry red, "Wha- Mabel?!" She yelped as the girl sat up. She giggled as Pacifica's face turned an even deeper shade of red, "How- How much did you hear?" She asked.

Mabel's smile widened, "Everything. Don't worry, I think it's cute," She said, "I really love you too," She said.

Pacifica's face heated up even further when Mabel kissed her on the cheek, "M-Mabel…" Was all the embarrassed girl could manage.

Mabel paid her self-consciousness no mind and pulled her closer. The two cuddled for a long time, almost forgetting about the crushing anxiety of their situation.

But no sweet moments ever lasted for the two. For all too soon, Mabel sat bolt upright, her stomach dropping with a unique, instinctual dread.

Her eyes were wide as she stared at Pacifica urgently, "Dipper, he's- Something's wrong!" She cried.


	18. A Rescue Mission Gone Wrong

When we last left off, Dipper was rolling a di for the safety of his wife.

Praying to all of the gods in the universe who didn't hate him, he threw his di. It bounced on the ground once… twice… Three times, and landed on-

100!

Dipper grinned, trying to act surprised at the outcome. Kira was surprised. She had to suppress a sob of joy and relief as she stood there. Dipper found himself wanting to cry at that moment but held back for the sake of appearances.

X was easily the most surprised of any of them. His face, what little he could see of it, looked like he just bit into something unpleasantly sour.

"Wha- But how-" He stammered, unable to accept his defeat.

Dipper couldn't hold back a smirk now, "I believe that I have won this game. Now for my winnings," He said, pulling out his blaster.

The men got the message and stepped back. X stepped forward and released Kira, who walked towards Dipper with as much reluctance as she could fake.

She still had on that horrid collar that seemed to suppress her powers. Dipper discreetly lit his hand on fire and melted through it, causing the metal monstrosity to clatter to the floor.

Kira looked up at him, she was about two inches shorter, with disbelieving eyes. He couldn't blame her. Dipper himself could hardly believe this was happening.

He turned to X, "Good game, Mr. X," He said, looking towards the pile of money on the floor.

The man grunted, still disgruntled and angry at his loss. He bent down to pick up Dipper's di.

That's where the Pines made his biggest mistake. He let his guard down.

X examined the plastic di and a sick smirk spread across his face as he saw the small glob of gum on the opposite side of the 100.

Dipper's heart sank. He knew.

"Cheater! This man is a cheat! I am the rightful winner of this gamble!" He screeched, holding Dipper's di aloft.

The other men gasped at the rigged 100 sider and turned to growl at him. Kira tried to stand protectively in front of him, but the collar thing seemed to drain her too much to be of any real help.

Dipper was on his own for now, and he had to protect his wife.

That's why he tried to scream at her to run.

Unfortunately for him, luck seemed to have other things in mind. For as soon as he prepared to run, he heard the sound of a dart gun firing.

He found himself frozen to the ground, almost forgetting what it was like to have a loaded gun aimed at you.

Kira, however, hadn't forgotten. And instead of standing stock still, she leaped into action with blinding speed, throwing her body in front of his.

A small cry of surprise and pain escaped her mouth as the dart hit her in the stomach. That got Dipper's attention.

With a roar of fury, he simultaneously scooped up his wife and set a wall of pure flames between the two of them and the back alley gamblers. He didn't realize that his pack was left on the other side until it was too late.

He didn't have time to think about how he would get home at the moment. Instead, he turned tail and ran with Kira in his arms. He could tell that she was breathing with his heightened senses, so that was a source of small relief, but the two of them were far from out of the woods yet.

Dipper didn't know where he was going as he ran. All he knew was that Kira was in trouble, and they had to get out of this shady part of town.

He pulled the dart out of her stomach and noticed with despair that this action was pointless. All of the poison had already been injected into Kira's system.

He cursed creatively and tossed the dart over his shoulder.

Dipper heard his wife chuckle softly in his arms, "Lan- Guage- Mason," She managed.

He glared at her before looking up to see where he was going, "Kira- Why?" He demanded in between breaths, "How- could- you- do- something- so- stupid?" He asked.

"You- You would've done it- too… Dumbass," She replied weakly.

"Are- you- alright?" He asked.

"I'll-" She broke off in a coughing fit, "Live," She finished.

That response wasn't at all reassuring. As he exited the more shady part of Lottocron Nine, he started screaming for help, "GET HELP! SOMEONE! ANYONE! MY WIFE IS DYING!"

Everyone walking past looked away. Most of them recognized the two of them from Wanted posters and didn't want to get involved.

A desperate sob escaped his throat, "Please!" He begged.

He looked around to see that everyone had gone into their houses. He looked down at his wife, "I'm sorry. Kir- I'm so sorry. I love you," He said.

She tried to smile, "It's okay. I-I'm okay- with this. You-" She broke off, wheezing.

Before Dipper could reply, he heard someone's voice, "Hey! You! Take her in here!"

He looked up to see a human-cat hybrid frantically beckoning him to her house at the end of the street.

For a second, he couldn't move. He stared at the Catwoman, barely believing what she was saying. Her fur was gray, she had one blue and one green eye, and she was wearing an apron. He hadn't met a Hybrid since dimension 26.

"Quickly! Come on! Are you deaf?" She snapped.

Dipper blinked and ran towards the woman. She looked concernedly at Kira. She quickly scooped her out of his arms and brought her unconscious form to a table. From the looks of it, she was some kind of doctor.

"Can you help her? Please say you can help her. I'll do anything!" He begged.

She frowned, "I'll see what I can do. You're Dipper Pines? The one who killed Bill Cipher?" She asked.

"The one and only," He replied.

 **You hardly killed me** , Bill complained.

Dipper kicked himself for forgetting about the demon, _Is there anything she can do? Will she be alright?_ He asked.

 **Hate to say it, but I don't know. I've never seen a poison like this before. If I had to guess, it was designed especially to kill halflings. Ki-Ki isn't one, so she might be alright.** He said.

 _Halfling?_ Dipper asked.

 **Half creatures. Not exactly the right word for our… Arrangement. But it's close enough. You're basically a half-demon, half-human. He explained, In any case, the poison would've had a much worse effect on you than Ki-Ki. I don't know if she'll be fine, but she's not dead yet, so that's something.** He said.

Dipper nodded, Alright. Not much, but I'll take it. I just hope this lady-

He realized something, "I didn't catch your name," He said, trying to calm down a little.

The cat woman spared him a glance, "It's Amaisha Prewett. Dr," She said.

"Dr. Prewett," He repeated, "Thank you,"

She gave a dry laugh, "Don't thank me yet. I have a lot of work to do,"

Dipper nodded and mulled over what Bill had said. Was it true that the poison coursing through Kira's veins would have killed him if he had been hit? What would he have done differently if he previously knew this information? Nothing, most likely. It all happened to fast for him to do anything differently.

He found himself wondering how things would have gone if the roles had been reversed. If Dipper had been the one dying in a makeshift doctor's office, and Kira was sitting in the chair beside him, anxiously wondering if he'd ever recover. Did he wish for that fate?

_Stop. He mentally chided himself, It happened. Nothing you can do to change it, so stop killing yourself over this._

Dipper had gotten a much, much healthier mindset while he was rebuilding the portal. Just the knowledge that Kira was still alive gave him the strength to keep going. She was his rock, his world, and he knew that he would crumble without her. He barely survived it the first time, and he sure as hell couldn't do it again.

He watched as Dr. Prewett examined Kira's condition, not liking the frown on her face at all.

"What's wrong?" He asked, terrified of the answer.

Dr. Prewett looked at him for a long time, her eyes telling him all he needed to know, "I'm sorry, Mr. Pines. But there's nothing I can do. The poison's spread too far. It would take a God to heal her at this point," She said.

Dipper's whole world shattered at these words. Nothing?  
There was nothing they could do?

He would just sit here, helpless, while he stared at his dying wife, counting her breaths until the number reached zero. Kira was his whole world, his entire reason for living, and he was just supposed to let her die? To let slip away right in front of him?

No.

Absolutely fucking not.

He promised himself that this wouldn't happen again. He would let another person he cared about sacrifice everything for him.

He stood up abruptly, knocking down his chair in his haste. Dr. Prewett looked like she wanted to protest, but conceded at the utter determination on Dipper's face.

No one was going to stop him this time.

He turned to Bill, _Hey! Do I or do I not have the power of a God?_ He asked.

 **Well… It depends on what kind of God you're talking about. If you mean a being of-** He began.

 _ANSWER ME!_ He screamed inwardly.

Bill was startled at his seriousness, **Alright, alright. If I'm right, which I always am, then you want to know if you can use your healing powers on her. Am I correct?** He asked.

 _YES! Now tell me what to do. I need to do something!_ He answered desperately.

 **Just a warning, this will either kill you or knock you out for twelve hours.** He said, knowing Dipper's response to this already.

 _I don't care. What do I do?_ He asked.

Bill began to instruct his host, **Okay. Put one hand on her wound and one over her heart.** He said.

Dipper did so, _Okay?_ He prompted.

 **Now concentrate on her heartbeat. Zero in on it.** He said.

 _Yeah?_ He thought after complying with Bill's instructions.

 **You'll have to do this carefully. Concentrate as much of your power as you can into your fingertips.** He said.

Dipper followed his instructions, focusing on the very essence of his soul as he concentrated it into his fingertips, which quickly began glowing blue.

 **Now… Zap her!** Bill finished.

Taking a deep breath, Dipper did just that. He focused on the power in his fingers and forced it into Kira's chest and open wound, forcing them to heal.

The process was less of a zap and more of a prolonged strike. It was clearly as painful to Kira as it was to him. Her eyes were glowing an unnatural blue and the veins around her eye sockets were also shining.

Dipper was sure he was the same way, "How- Much- Longer?" He demanded aloud, his voice straining with exhaustion and pain.

 **Just a little more. A little more. So close. And…** He trailed off.

"BILL!" He screamed.

 **Now!** He finished.

Dipper felt the last of the energy pour into Kira's chest, slowly destroying any poison inside of her system.

He let himself smile with satisfaction. At least Kira would be alright.

He watched as she opened her eyes, "Ma… Son?" She croaked.

But Dipper was already too dead to the world to reply. His unconscious form buckling and hitting the floor, oblivious to Kira and Dr. Prewett's panic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Amaisha is pronounced "A-My-Sha" Thanks for reading!


	19. Should I Stay or Should I Go?

When Dipper regained consciousness, he was laying in an unfamiliar room. He looked around in confusion. Where was he?

He looked to his side to see Kira, who must've fallen asleep holding his hand. He squeezed her hand gently, "Kir?" He asked.

She blinked awake, "Mason?" She mumbled.

"It's me, Kira," He said.

She instantly became more alert, "What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea how scared I was?" She demanded.

Dipper was also angry, "What was I thinking? What were you thinking? Why would you sacrifice yourself for me after all this time?" He asked, voice breaking.

Kira rolled her eyes, "Because I love you, stupid," She said.

Dipper's expression softened, "I love you too," He said.

She smiled wryly, "Then I guess that makes us even. Now! Mind telling me what you've been up to for the past three years?" She asked. Her tone was bright, but her expression was dark.

He swallowed. That would be a long story to tell. Nevertheless, he took a deep breath and explained everything.

By the end of his story, Kira had tears streaming down her cheeks, "You dumbass! You actually thought I was dead? Y-You really are a d-dork," She sniffled.

He smiled, "Hey. I missed you too. What happened to you? Where have you been?" He asked.

She wiped her eyes and began to explain, "It all began that night a few years ago. I woke up to the Assassins attacking our camp. They- Rune- They were shot on sight. Natatsi, Xar, and I were captured. They ordered us into a cart and threatened to kill Nat if we didn't do what they said. We were all thrown in a shared prison cell. We- I thought- They told us you were dead. I think it was a month we were stuck in there. I'm not sure. Anyways, we dug a hole in the wall of our cell, cliche I know, but it worked. Everything went smoothly until it came to getting out of the front door. Someone had to stay behind and hold the button. Xar volunteered to do it, and Nat refused to leave him. I- I had to leave them behind. I've spent the last three years on the run, hopping from dimension to dimension and joining whatever militia or rebellion who would have me. I've- So many good people have died in front of me. I'll be honest, I didn't know why I was still alive. At least, not until I got a tip from an anonymous, but reliable source, that you were still alive about a year ago. I've been traveling to the corners of the multiverse to find you. I knew it wasn't very rational, but I thought that if there was even the slightest chance that you were still out there-"

"You had to try to find me. You couldn't live with yourself if I was still alive and you did nothing about it. Am I right?" He asked.

She nodded, "Exactly. I've been looking for so long, Mason," Her voice broke with emotion. Dipper squeezed her hand for moral support.

Kira gave him a shaky smile and continued, "Those bastards back there caught me off guard. They put some kind of power suppressor on me. Thanks for the save, by the way," She said.

Dipper nodded, "Anytime," He said.

"And that's pretty much it. I- I really didn't think I'd ever see you again, Mace," She said, choking back a sob.

He gripped her hand tightly and pulled her into a hug. They held onto each other tightly, afraid to let go as the sobbed into each other's shoulders. Dipper still couldn't believe this was really happening. After all these years, all the nights spent crying himself to sleep, he was finally holding the love of his life again.

He wondered briefly if he was dreaming.

 **You're not dreaming, Pine Tree. You are hungry, though. I think that Amaisha woman is making some food.** Bill said.

Dipper realized the demon was right when his stomach gave a fierce growl. He reluctantly pulled away from the hug, "I'm starving. Do you think Doctor Prewett would be opposed to feeding us breakfast?" He asked.

"I think she's making something right now. Can you walk?" Kira asked, standing up and offering her hand.

Dipper turned to his most trustworthy medical consultant, who mentally nodded, **You're fine. A little roughed up, but you won't die.** He said.

He nodded and took his wife's hand, standing up. The couple walked hand in hand to the kitchen, where Dr. Amaisha Prewett was making stew.

She nodded at him, unfazed by his complete recovery, "You alright?" She asked.

Kira pulled up a chair and sat at the table. Dipper nodded at her, "I'm fine," He said, sitting down next to Kira.

"Thanks again for letting us stay here," He said, "We owe you a great debt,"

She waved him off, "I'm only doing what a decent person would. Besides, Cipher destroyed my family. The Pines family are the most heroic people in the multiverse. Though I have to ask. How exactly did you wind up getting the demon stuck in your head?" She asked.

Dipper immediately reached for his blaster, wary of the hybrid's reaction to this news. He didn't want to shoot anyone, but if Kira's life was put at risk, he would have no other choice. He explained his situation carefully.

When he was finished telling his story, Amaisha nodded, "Of course. I suspected as much. Fear not, I won't try to hurt you or your mate," She promised, "However, I can't let you stay in my house for any longer. Once you are finished eating, I'll have to ask you to leave. You're too much of a liability to remain here for long," She said.

Dipper sighed, "I understand. As soon as we're done eating, we'll be out of your hair. We have somewhere we need to be anyways," He said.

Kira looked at him knowingly, he told her about his plan earlier. They would return to Dipper's new home dimension in time. Then they'd finally have a chance to live a real life together.

The three were generally silent until their meal was served. There was so much to be said between them, Kira and Dipper particularly, but they opted to remain quiet for the time being. There would be time for every conversation later.

When their meal was served, Dipper practically inhaled his stew. He hadn't felt more hungry in his life. He ate three bowls before he was comfortably full.

An offhand comment from Amaisha made his heart stop, "Well, I figured you would be hungry. You've been out for nearly a day and a half," She said.

His spoon clattered to the floor at this news, "What?" He demanded, "But that means- We only have- Six hours! We have to go," He said, standing up and sprinting out of the front door.

Kira wasn't far behind, calling back one last thanks to the hybrid doctor before she too left the dwelling. She quickly caught up with Dipper, "Six hours? That's more than enough time to..." She gasped and stopped dead in her tracks, "Don't tell me you-"

Dipper slowed down and turned to her, "I dropped my pack when we escaped from the creeps that captured you. I didn't have time to go back and grab it," He said.

She groaned, "This is bad. Less than six hours, and we have to get a new dimensional transmitter to boot. Do you have any idea how rare those things have become since the Time Police were reinstigated?" She demanded.

Dipper winced, "Do you think we'll be able to find one?"

She shrugged, "Hard to say. Lottocron Nine is infamous for having all of the rare contraband. We'd have to get very lucky to find one in less than six hours," She said.

He cursed, "Alright. We'd better get going. As much as I hate to say this, we're gonna have to go back down the rabbit hole,"

She nodded, "I'll be fine. As long as we find a transmitter quickly, we might not even run into those creeps," She said.

Dipper allowed himself to feel a bit optimistic, "Yeah. Let's go," He said.

The two began navigating the streets of Lottocron Nine, making their way deeper and deeper into the City of Chance.

They ignored the sleazy merchants and hobos begging for money. Everywhere they went, Dipper relied on Bill to see if anyone had an interdimensional transmitter.

No one did.

The two wandered the dark and crowded streets of the Underground for hours, searching everywhere for the item they sought.

Dipper made a habit of checking his watch every five seconds, the hand moving uncomfortably close to the twelve.

Just as he was about to give up hope of ever finding one, Bill startled him with his shriek, **Pine Tree! Dipper! Over there!** He shouted.

He whipped around to see a shady looking guy at a stand. It was simple enough. The prize was loftily displayed on a shelf, and the man was holding a single gun.

Dipper understood immediately what game this man was playing, _Well, Bill. Looks like you're in luck. We are going to be playing Russian Roulette today._ He thought, heading to the stand.

Kira noticed what the guy was offering, and followed after Dipper, not noticing the gun at first.

Dipper stood in front of the man, "Hello. You're offering an interdimensional transmitter?" He asked.

The guy nodded, "Are you willing to play for it?" He asked, nudging the gun in the middle of the table.

Kira's eyes widened and she grabbed Dipper's arm, "No. Absolutely not! Of all of the stupid, reckless things you could do, this is by far the worst!" She said.

He shook his head, "We don't have a choice. This guy is the only one we've seen in hours that has what we need. Who knows if we would be able to find another one," He said.

She was adamant, "It's not worth it! The risks outway the reward in every way you look at it," She said, "If you're going to insist on one of us playing for it, at least let me-"

"No!" Dipper hastily cut her off.

Kira was momentarily struck dumb, so he continued, "No. I can't let you do this, Kira. It has to be me," He said.

"Why? Why does it always have to be you?" She demanded, "Why can't you just accept the fact that I care about you? I would die for you, Mason. Without hesitating," She said.

Dipper was firm, "I have to do this. I won't lose, I promise," He said.

She looked resigned, "I can't talk you out of this, can I?" She asked.

He shook his head.

She sighed, "Fine. Go ahead. Risk your stupid life for all I care," She said, trying to hide the fact that she was fighting back tears.

Dipper turned to the man, who was watching interestedly, "I'll play. If I win, I get the transmitter. If you win, I'm wanted dead or alive in at least 53 different dimensions. You can have my bounty as your reward. Kira won't do anything to you either, right?" He asked, looking at her.

She nodded, "I'll let him go," She said, but the expression on her face suggested that the likelihood of that actually happening should he die was rather low.

The man seemed interested, "I agree to your terms. My name is Azab. You may go first, honored guest," He said, sneering a bit at the last words.

Dipper nodded and picked up the gun that was offered to him. He quickly rotated the barrel and placed it against his temple. The safety was already off.

He knew that if he gave himself enough time to think about what he was doing, he would chicken out, so he didn't.

Before he himself knew what he was doing, he pulled the trigger. A moment of blind panic and a, Click!, caused a rush of adrenaline, relief, and fear to jolt his nervous system.

With shaking hands, he passed the gun to the other man.

Azab took a little more time to pull the trigger. Leaving Dipper with enough time to notice how excited Bill was. _He suppressed an eye roll, You were really looking forward to this, weren't you?_ He asked in a deadpan tone.

 **Why shouldn't I? It's fun!** Bill said, practically bouncing around Dipper's brain in his glee.

 _I never liked your definition of fun._ He informed the dream demon.

Dipper was shaken out of his thoughts by another soft, Click!. It was his turn.

He took a little more time to think this time, stalling slightly as he slowly turned the barrel. He hesitated before holding the gun up to his temple. What were his odds of getting a bullet to the head again? 1 out of 4?

That was 25%. Not very likely an outcome by definition. He was fine. As long as Azab died the next round, he would live to see another day.

After everything he's been through, he refused to let himself get taken out by something so stupid.

On that note, he made his shaking fingers pull the trigger. Click!

He heard Kira let out an audible sigh of relief, and Dipper himself was high on it.

Azab looked a little more nervous now. He wasn't very experienced with loss in this game. He was starting to panic.

Still, true to the nature of the game, he showed no emotion as he pulled the trigger. Dipper felt bad that he was wishing for this man's death, but that's how this game worked. Go with bravery and in peace.

Click!

Dipper froze, and Azab smirked. He knew how bad this was. There was now a 50/50 chance that he would get a bullet in his brain. Part of him wanted to forfeit.

But no. He couldn't let Mabel down. He couldn't let Kira down again. Death was a fate he'd much rather take than willingly breaking either of their hearts.

50/50, huh?

Dipper liked those odds.

He heard a gasp behind him as he pulled the trigger, he shut his eyes tightly as he waited for the verdict. He could tell that Kira was preparing to scream, and Azab was smirking in anticipation of his victory.

Neither party was expecting the small, angelic Click! That followed Dipper's action.

He nearly collapsed with relief, and Kira burst into tears behind him.

Azab on the other hand was silent. His face was a brick wall.

Dipper passed him the gun, "You can still back out if you want. I wouldn't hold it against you," He said.

The man took the weapon and stared at it for a long time. After several minutes, he shook his head, "No thank you. I'm going to see this one through, kid. Goodbye," He said.

Dipper nodded calmly, "Go with bravery and in peace," He said.

Azab smiled slightly as he pulled the trigger, a loud bang followed by the sound of his body hitting the ground rang out in the otherwise silent alley.

The two stared at his body for a minute, silently paying their respects to the dead man.

 **He played well. I didn't know if we were going to survive that one, Pine Tree!** Bill chirped, clearly still high on the adrenaline rush of playing Russian Roulette.

 _Yes, he did. And I thought you could see the future,_ Dipper pointed out.

Bill mentally shrugged, **Like most politicians, I only see and hear what I want to see and hear. I'm also a pathological liar!**

Dipper rolled his eyes, _Believe me, I'm well aware._ He said drily.

Kira put a hand on his shoulder, jolting him out of his thoughts, "Mason? We should go," She said gently.

He looked to see that she had tears streaming down her face and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back and whispered fiercely in his ear, "Don't you ever scare me like that again,"

Dipper smiled slightly, "I won't," He promised.

Unfortunately, the universe, the author, was a jerk to Kira and Dipper and cut their heartwarming moment bitterly short.

Because just then, they heard the dreaded voice of X, "There they are! Get them!"

The two instantly leaped into action. Kira grabbed the transmitter and Dipper grabbed the gun that they just used to play. It was empty, but their pursuers didn't know that.

When they saw that there was a giant crowd chasing after them, they took off running.

They didn't get very far before Dipper tripped, "Ah-" He yelped as he landed hard on the ground.

Kira was exasperated, "Mason, you dumbass!" She screamed as she turned around and picked him up bridal style.

As she carried him and ran away from the angry mob behind them, Dipper shouted instructions.

"Put in the coordinates for the Nightmare Realm!" He said.

Kira was oddly conflicted, "Mason, I-"  
There wasn't time to argue, "We can talk about this later! Come on! They're gaining on us!" He warned.

"Alright!" She agreed reluctantly as she punched in the coordinates, "3, 2, 1," She counted down.

"NOW!" He shouted.

Kira set off the device and the two began phasing out of Lottocron Nine. Dipper held up a middle finger from his position in Kira's arms, "Sayonara, suckers!" He cried triumphantly.

Before anyone in the crowd could react, the badass couple winked out of existence.

Five seconds of nausea and pure chaos later, the two appeared in the Nightmare Realm.

Dipper swallowed the bile rising up in his throat and turned to Kira. She seemed unaffected, probably because she was more used to interdimensional travel than he was of late. He checked his watch, a little less than an hour until they were instructed to turn on the portal. He let himself smile a bit, they made it!

That, however, is when he remembered Kira's uncertainty, "What was wrong back there? You seemed like you didn't want to go back to 46'/. Why?" He asked.

Her expression grew sad, "I know you're happy there, Mason, and I would hate to take that away from you, but I don't know if I would be welcome," She admitted.

He shook his head, "That's ridiculous. I know my family, they'll love you," He said.

She frowned, "The Pines family is not the issue here, the rest of the world is. What happens if they figure out what I am? They could very well take me away to study or worse!" She said.

Dipper's eyes widened when he realized what she meant, "Oh. I understand," He said eventually.

"You would understand if I wanted to leave?" She asked warily.

He nodded, "Without a doubt. If that's what you think is best, then I'm in. Where are we going?" He asked.

He hadn't been expecting this and felt guilty for knowingly leaving Mabel behind again, but he was almost excited by the prospect of reliving the glory days. Besides, he made himself a promise before he left. He wouldn't let Kira go again, no matter what.

She shook her head firmly, "Absolutely not. You found your family. You're happy in your backslash dimension. You found something permanent. I can't let you give that up for me. I won't!" She said.

Kira didn't get it. She didn't understand the aim of his mission. Get Kira back no matter the cost. He grabbed her hands, "Kira, you don't get it. I can't let you go again. My life in that dimension, in any dimension, is nothing without you. You are my happiness. And I refuse to let you leave me again," He said.

Her eyes were filled with tears, "Mason. If we go there, there's no going back. It's forever. If we leave, there is no forever. We'll be wandering until the day we die. What are we supposed to do?" She asked, voice choked at the impossible ultimatum.

He shrugged helplessly, "I have no idea. All I know is, as long as I'm with you, I'll always have a home," He said.

Her brows furrowed, "So you're choosing me over your sister?" She asked.

He looked momentarily conflicted, "I- I know it's selfish. I've come to accept the fact that I'm probably the worst brother in the world. And I know she doesn't deserve any of this. But I can't walk away, I don't know how," He admitted.

Kira was rendered speechless. He would really be willing to give up everything, just to stay by her side?

She looked away, "I need some time to think," She muttered.

Dipper nodded, "You have plenty of time. There are about 30 minutes until the portal goes off," He said.

She nodded and floated away, wanting to be alone with her thoughts.

He was also grateful that he had the chance to think about their impossible decision. Did he want to go home? Absolutely. Did he want to leave Kira under any circumstances? Absolutely not.

So that left him with whatever she chose. Her concerns about the American government and earthen society, in general, were valid. He shuddered to imagine a fate where he convinced Kira to go to her doom.

But Mabel was waiting for him at home. Not to mention the rest of his family was there too. He really loved all of them and wanted to see them again.

He wanted to keep his promise to his loved ones.

But he also wanted to keep his promise to his wife.

Jesus Christ, why did the universe hate him so much?

He turned to Bill, uncertain as to what his opinion was on the matter, _What do you think? Should I stay or should I go?_ He asked helplessly.

 **I don't know about you, but I for one don't really want to be stuck in one place forever. Besides, Ki-Ki seems like she's leaning towards staying out here. I know how fond you are of her. Why leave when you finally have a chance to be together again?** He asked.

Dipper sighed, _It's not that simple. If we stay out here, that's it. We don't get to have anything permanent. We'll be eternally drifting._ He pointed out.

 **So? You didn't seem to have a problem with drifting before? Remember how much fun the old days were? Would reliving them with your badass wife be so bad?** Bill asked.

He thought about it for a second. He pictured himself and Kira roaming the multiverse, not having a care in the world, and living on the edge like they were kids. It was more tempting than he liked to admit before he really thought about it.

The problem with the idea was that they weren't those carefree kids anymore. They were married, responsible adults who would want to settle down someday and raise a family.

If they stayed out here, not mentioning the guilt that would follow abandoning his family, but his children and wife would always be in danger. No matter how small the chance of any member of his family getting abducted out here was, that anxiety would never go away.

There would always be that small risk of something going terribly wrong. One mistake, one slip up, one moment of poor judgment could be your death sentence.

Staying out here was a bad decision no matter how you looked at it, so how would he manage to convince Kira of that? He knew that if someone had tried to convince him of that before he got the chance to go home, he wouldn't have listened.

He checked his watch anxiously, 18 minutes.

"Kira?" He called, searching for his wife.

She hadn't gone far, "What's wrong?" She called back, a touch of concern in her voice.

He used his powers to jet over to her, "You know what's wrong. We can't stay out here, Kir, and I think you know it. It's not a sustainable life for anyone. We're not kids anymore, and the glory days are over. We can't be the fantastic five again, no matter how much we wish we could," He said.

She was stunned for about a minute before speech was possible again, "I'm not an idiot, Mason. Of course, I know we can't relive the glory days. But I just- I don't know if I can commit to forever," She said.

"You agreed to marry me," Dipper argued, "That's forever, at least in my book,"

She shook her head, "It's not the same thing. I know I can trust you. But I can't trust that dimension. Do you seriously want me to blindly jump into a new life without knowing any feasible way out?" She demanded.

It was a good point, and Dipper had to play his trump card, "If you trust me, then can you trust the world I live in?" He asked, "I know it's not perfect, far from it, but it's home. And I think, if you can make that leap of faith, it could be your home too," He said.

She was silent, "I'll think about it," She finally granted him, "How long?" She asked.

"10 minutes," Dipper said, "Take your time,"

She nodded and turned away, clearly having an internal battle over whether she should stay or go.

He turned to Bill, _How was that? Do you think I convinced her?_ He asked.

 **You convinced me! How could I want to leave when I just got Shooting Star and Llama together? I want to go back!** He said enthusiastically.

Dipper rolled his eyes, _Mabel and Pacifica got together by themselves, Bill. You hardly did anything useful._ He said.

Bill was deeply offended, **Excuse me? Nothing helpful? If it wasn't for me, your sorry head would still be a mile up your ass when it came to those two! You know what, I think I'm going to have to sing the Gratitude Song.** He threatened.

He immediately backtracked, _No! I'm sorry, okay? You were vital in helping them get together. Just don't sing the Gratitude Song!_ He begged.

 **That's better.** Bill said.

Dipper breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that Bill wasn't going to sing, _Thank the Axolotl_ , He made the mistake of thinking.

Bill very much heard him, **Oh! Looks like I'll have to sing it after all!** He said gleefully.

 _No! Don't!_ Dipper pleaded, but he was already singing.

 **Gratitude Song! I'm singing a gratitude song! When Pine Tree's been ungrateful I sing this helpful song. To remind us, let's all sing along. Oh-** He broke off midverse as the dimension began to shift.

Dipper's eyes widened, "Kira! It's the portal!" He said.

She looked panicked, "But I'm not ready!" She protested desperately.

He shook his head and grabbed her hand, "There's no time! You're going to have to decide now! What are we going to do!" He asked.

She looked extremely unprepared, "I-" She began.

Before she could finish, a vortex appeared about six feet away from them.

The pressure only raised as the shining white light grew brighter, "I-" She tried again.

"What?" Dipper cried, beginning to feel the desperation that his wife was feeling.

"I don't know!" She wailed, the pressure nearly splitting her in two.

"Kira!" He screamed, knowing that the portal would be closing soon.

"What?" She cried back.

"Do you trust me?" He asked, extending a hand towards his wife as he felt his body being pulled into the glowing vortex.

One second. That's all it took for Kira to be sure.

"I- I trust you, Mason!" She decided, grabbing his hand.

Dipper let a smile grow on his face as the two were pulled into the portal. They were together. Just like when they were kids, and just like they would always be.

Because they were Mason and Kira. Kira and Mason.

And the two of them were finally going to get their happy ending.


	20. Home

When Dipper came through the other side of the portal, something was different than the other times he’d done it. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.

He clutched at his head, feeling a sensation that wasn’t painful but unpleasant nonetheless. 

He didn’t know what was happening, but it wasn’t dimensional sickness. That wasn’t near as soul-crushing as this was.

He didn’t know he was going to pass out until he tried to speak to Bill. A sudden wave of dizziness hit him, and he swayed on his feet.

Remembering the safe word, he barely managed to croak out, “Pine tree,” Before his vision went dark.

When he again gained awareness, he was in the mindscape. But… It didn’t look like it normally did.

Instead of a gray and colorless forest, he seemed to be in a bright white… Train station?  
He looked around in confusion, wondering why Bill picked this new setting, “Bill?” He called.

There was no answer. Dipper’s frown deepened. Why was he in the mindscape if Bill wasn’t there?

“Bill?!” He called again, noticeably concerned for his mental companion.

He looked around once more, and this time he saw him. 

The Dorito was standing at the edge of the tracks as if waiting on a train.

He turned around, “Seriously, Pine Tree, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me a Dorito,” He sounded serious, which was a rarity for the ever fun-loving dream demon.

“What’s going on? Why are we at a train station?” Dipper demanded.

Bill looked at him like that was the most idiotic thing he had ever heard, “Isn’t it obvious? I’m waiting for a train,” He said.

Dipper was confused, “A train? But why? Where are you going?” 

Bill shrugged, “No idea. No one knows what the demon afterlife looks like if there is one at all,” 

Dipper’s entire being filled with dread, “What are you saying? Why are you talking about the afterlife?”

Bill, “Calm down, kid. I knew this was going to happen. I’m ready. I think I’ve been ready for millennia,” He said.

“Would you stop being so cryptic? Why are you talking like you’re about to die?” He demanded.

“Because I am about to die, Dipper! When you chose to return to this world permanently, it meant giving up your power. I held on last time for Ki-Ki’s sake, but now… There’s nothing left to do. I’m finally done,” He sounded a little exhilarated at the last note. The relief in his voice as he talked about his rapidly approaching demise was palpable.

“Wh-What? No! Why didn’t you tell me, you asshole?!” He screamed, his voice cracking with emotion. 

“I already told you. I want this. If I would’ve told you this was going to happen back there, you would’ve refused to go through the portal,” He said. 

A hysterical laugh bubbled up in Dipper’s throat as he said, “Yeah, I wouldn’t have gone through if you- God, Bill. Just when I thought you changed, you’ve always got to fuck me over at the last second, don’t you?” He said.

Bill looked guilty, “Pine Tree-” He began.

“Why, Bill? I thought we were supposed to be friends. Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked emotionally.

Bill was mystified, “Dipper, it’s okay. There’s no reason to be upset. If it’s about the power, there’s nothing that can be done-”  
“Shut up!” He snarled

“Huh?” He asked.

“I said shut up!” He snapped.

“But- Why?” He managed.

“It’s not about the power, you dumbass Dorito. When will you learn that I care about you? I don’t want you to die, Bill,” He said. 

Bill looked touched, “I’m sorry, Dipper. I never wanted to hurt you, but I have to go. There’s no way around it,” He said.

Dipper looked away, “I know… It’s just- I never imagined we’d be saying goodbye so soon. This isn’t much of a happily ever after,” He said. 

Bill laughed wryly, “Happily ever after? Pine Tree, you of all people knows it’s not that simple,” He said.

He sighed, “Yeah, I do. Doesn’t mean I didn’t hope for a better ending,” 

The triangle shrugged, “This ending isn’t so bad. Sure, I’m dying, but it’s not the end of the world. Go live your life. Reproduce. Name one of the little creatures after me,” He said.

Dipper smiled through the tears gathering in his eyes, “You’re still an ass,” He said.

Bill laughed, “And you’re still a hopeless sap,” He said. 

“I know this is stupid, but… Do you think I’ll ever see you again?” Dipper asked, not daring to hope.

Bill shrugged, “It’s hard to say. No one knows what happens after you die. But knowing how much the universe hates the two of us, chances are we’ll probably get stuck with each other again,” He said.

Dipper looked down the tracks, trying to see any oncoming train, “Aren’t you afraid? You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. Don’t you feel fear?” He asked.

Bill burst out laughing, “Afraid? Pine Tree, don’t you get it? The unknown risk… The possible danger… That’s the fun of it!” He said.

He shook his head, “I should’ve known. Even when you’re about to die, you’re still a crazy bastard,” He said.

Bill grinned, “Yup!”

The briefly cheerful atmosphere was decimated by the sound of a whistle and a train pulling into the station.

Bill looked at it succinctly, “Well. That’s my ride. Before you say anything, can we not do goodbyes. I’ve always hated them,” He said.

Dipper looked at him for a long moment before speaking, “Okay. No goodbyes then,” He agreed, “See you later, alligator,” He said.

Bill stared at him like he was nuts, “See you later  _ alligator?  _ That’s your touching farewell?” He demanded.

Dipper stood his ground, and Bill eventually gave in. He muttered something that sounded like,  _ Stupid Pine Tree’s gonna make me cry,  _ Before saying…

“After a while, crocodile,”

With that, he turned towards the train, ready to embark on a new journey. Before he could get on, Dipper called after him, “Wait!”

He turned around, annoyed, “What is it now?” He demanded.

Without warning, Dipper pounced on him, wrapping the triangular being in a tight hug, “Thank you,” He whispered, “For being there for me when no one else was. You saved my life,” He said.

“Godammit, Pine Tree. I have a reputation to keep up,” He said, clearly failing to hold back his tears.

Dipper pulled away, “I know, I know. Just dust in your eye, right?” He asked.

Bill nodded, “Glad to see you’re not getting the wrong idea here, kid. Now. As nice as this is, I have to go,”  
Dipper nodded, “I understand. Go,” He said, trying for a smile.

Bill returned it as he stepped onto the train. Before the doors could close, he shouted something, because he just  _ had  _ to have the last word. 

“I love you, Dipper!”

Before he could react, the train left the station, leaving the place to slowly fade into nonexistence. 

He shook his head. The demon wasn’t confessing romantic feelings. Dipper learned a long time ago that he didn’t understand the concept. No. 

He was putting into words a deep platonic love that the two of them shared. Their bond over the years had strengthened from a reluctant partnership to a familial relationship.

He smiled, not bothered by the tears running down his face, “See you on the other side…” 

The mindscape slowly faded into bright light as Bill left for the great unknown. Before the light could swallow everything, he had to get one last word out.

“Brother,” 

Dipper’s eyes flew open as the mindscape winked out of existence. 

He looked around wildly to see that he was still on the floor of the lab. 

“Whoa! Calm down, Bro-Bro, you’re okay. We’re in Pacifica’s basement, remember,” Mabel quickly spoke.

Dipper realized something, “Pine Tree! Did I say the safeword? Pine Tree!” He rambled.

“Calm down, we know it’s you. Kira’s not awake yet, but you said the safeword before you passed out. What happened? You scared me there, Dip,” She said emotionally.

The events of his subconscious hit him, and he quickly searched his mind for any trace of Bill. His face fell when he found nothing. A void where his powers, demonic knowledge, and Bill used to be.

“Dipper? Is everything okay?” Mabel asked gently.

“Huh? Oh! Yeah. Everything’s fine. Where are Stan and Ford?” He asked.

She gestured vaguely towards the door, “They went to go get breakfast. You were out for about an hour,” 

He nodded, “No kidding. I’m not surprised. Where’s Kira?” He asked.

She pointed to the other side of the basement, where Pacifica was tending to an unconscious Kira.

Dipper slowly got to his feet, still trying to get used to the sheer lack of a dream demon in his mind. He would miss the sarcastic conversation and backward advice. He didn’t even remember what it was like to be bored. Bill may have been annoying, but he was a well of endless knowledge which led to some pretty… interesting conversations.

Bill was the main reason why he stopped doing random drugs in underground space bars. If you think anything he did during Weirdmageddon was terrifying, you should’ve seen him high. The two destroyed several planets while under the influence. 

He would miss having a built-in partner in crime.

Dipper shook off his grief. He would process Bill’s death later. Now he decided to focus on his very much alive wife. 

He knelt by her side and gently shook her shoulder, “Kir?” He asked softly.

She groaned and curled in on herself. She didn’t want to wake up. Despite his emotional exhaustion, he felt a surge of fondness in his chest. He missed her so much.

“Kira? It’s me, Mason,” He said.

She finally opened her eyes, “Ugh… My head,” She groaned, “What hap-” Her eyes widened, “My powers! Mason, are your-”

He nodded, “Yeah. Our powers are gone, Kir. I’m sorry. If I had known this was going to happen…” He trailed off, looking away.

Her eyes were filled with tears but she shook her head, “No, it’s- It’s okay. I kinda had a feeling this was going to happen. I don’t know how to explain it, but… It feels like this was supposed to happen,” She said.

Dipper nodded sadly, “That’s what Bill said. Hey, Pacifica. Did everything go well with the portal?” He asked his young friend.

Pacifica nodded, “No eldritch abominations came out if that’s what you mean. We weren’t sure it was you at first. Luckily Mabel managed to hear you say the safeword before you passed out. What happened to you two anyway?” She asked.

Dipper and Kira exchanged a glance before he explained, “We- Our powers that we gained in the multiverse essentially died when we decided to stay in this dimension. They’ve been with us both so long that to have them just… Be gone. It’s like losing your best friend,” He said.

Kira nodded wordlessly, her eyes red from suppressed tears. 

Dipper reached over and rubbed her back comfortingly. She leaned into his side, burying her face in his shoulder.

Pacifica looked at the two of them sympathetically, “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what that’s like,” She said.

Dipper shook his head, “It’s alright. We’ll be fine,” He said.

Pacifica understood what he meant. As long as they had each other, the two of them could conquer anything. 

Just then, Stan and Ford reentered the room, “We brought breakfast- Dipper! You’re awake!” Ford cried excitedly, running to his nephew.

Dipper gave him an exhausted smile and stood up, “Hey Grunkle Ford. Grunkle Stan. Nice to see you guys again,” He said.

Stan wrapped him in a one-armed hug, which Dipper gratefully returned. Honestly, a hug was exactly what he needed after all the shit that he just went through. 

Dipper pulled away and surveyed the worry on his father figures’ faces.

Ford looked the most concerned, “Are you alright, son?” He asked.

He gave him a clear `we'll talk about this later’ look, “We will be,” He said.

He helped Kira up from the floor. She stepped forward and offered a handshake, “Hello, I’m Kira Pi-”

Both brothers stepped closer to her, their distrust was written all over their faces.

“So you’re the woman Dipper risked his life for,” Ford said, clearly trying hard not to reach for his blaster.

“We’ve got some questions to ask ya,” Stan said, crossing his arms.

Dipper quickly intervened in the rising conflict, “Alright, alright. You two can do the Dad interrogation later. For now, we could use some food,” He said.

Mabel chimed in, “Let’s go back to the shack! I wanna give my sister a tour!” She said. 

Ford looked confused, “Sister?” He asked.

Dipper nonchalantly showed off his wedding ring, “We’re married, remember?” He asked, “And I agree with Mabel. We shouldn’t risk staying here any longer than we have to. If Preston and Priscilla come back while we’re still here, they’re going to have a few questions. I see you cleaned up the portal, Ford?” He asked.

He nodded, “I disposed of it shortly after the two of you came back through. We cannot allow it to open again. It’ll destroy our dimension for good,” He said.

The Pines family headed towards the door, but Pacifica hung back. Dipper turned to her, “Are you coming? You don’t have to worry about this being a family thing. After everything that’s happened, you’re a Pines at this point,” He said.

She shook her head, “It’s okay, you guys go ahead,” She said.

Mabel looked disappointed, “You sure?” She asked.

Pacifica nodded, “If my parents come back and I’m not there they’re going to freak out. Besides, I haven’t slept in two days. I’m going to go upstairs and sleep for fifteen hours,’ She said.

Dipper laughed, “You’ve more than earned it. Thanks for everything, Pacifica. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure the two of you can keep in touch,” He said with a wink.

Pacifica grinned, “You’d better. I don’t want my girlfriend to steal another car just to come see me,” She said.

Mabel looked starstruck, “Girlfriend? We’re- Yeah! Okay! Girlfriend,” She said confidently.

They headed out of the front door and waved their goodbyes to Pacifica. She probably would’ve kissed Mabel, but Stan and Ford were giving her warning looks, so she settled with a hug.

That was okay. There would be time for all that later. There would be talking and crying and grieving. There would be discussions to be had, celebrations to hold, and punishments to dish out. But for now, the Pines allowed themselves to enjoy being a complete family again.

Dipper smiled at Kira and took her hand, “Let’s go home, Kir,” He said.

She nodded, “Home,” She agreed.

And so the Pines family walked back to their origin, all with bright hopes, diving headfirst into the future.

Keep in mind that, much like the show itself, this isn’t the end. This story is only the beginning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I hope I wasn’t the only one who cried at the Bill death scene. That one wrecked me when I was writing it.


	21. Lost Time Writing Competition

Lost Time Writing Competition

Hi guys! I’m sorry if you’re disappointed, this is not a Lost Time update. I’ve been on hiatus from this universe for a while, and I’m so sorry for that. I recently looked back at Lost Time and all the support I got, and I’ve decided to do something to thank you all.

So… Behold, the official Lost Time AU Writing Competition!  
I will provide three aus, and you’ll write Kira x Dipper versions of them. You have until 8:00 PM PST on August 27th to get them in. The results will be delivered on September 3rd. 

The winner will get some special Gravity Falls Merch shipped to them and a 20$ cash prize. (More information soon to come.)

**If on AO3:** Gift your work to me so I can see and judge it. I will make sure to read all of them and give some kind of criticism, regardless of the results.

**If on Fanfiction.net:** Send the link to your work to me via PMs so I see it. I will make sure to read all of them and give some kind of criticism, regardless of the results.

The AUs you will have to work with are: 

  1. Royalty AU
  2. Soulmate AU (Any Variation)
  3. Hanahaki AU



You may use any characters, Kira and Dipper must be main. You can feel free to interpret Bill in any way you chose. He can be human, an alter ego, a voice in his head, or just regular Bill. 

Remember to be creative! These aus are purposely vague, so interpret them in any way that you will. Just as long as you don’t stray from the basic concept.

Rules:

  1. All ratings are allowed.
  2. You may not submit more than one entry.
  3. Once announced, the winner will eventually DM me with their address so I can ship them their prize.
  4. All word lengths allowed.
  5. Credit to Saiph the Swordmaster is MANDATORY on all related works.
  6. Judging is completely unbiased. My favorite story will win, regardless of whoever wrote it.
  7. Judge decisions are final.
  8. Have Fun!



Tips:

  1. Can be rated K-M. Post whatever you think is your best work.
  2. Character Death is allowed.
  3. Angst, Fluff, whatever. I welcome laughter and tears.
  4. The fic can be as long or short as you want. 
  5. Be creative! I want to be wowed.



I hope everyone has fun with this little competition I cooked up! May the Axolotl watch over you and the best author win.

  * Saiph the Swordmaster




End file.
